Accidents Happen
by Awakening5
Summary: Harry hated the question. "What will you do next?" they'd ask. As if they had any right to know. As if he had any idea what the answer was. As if he hadn't just defeated Voldemort last week and deserved a little time to decompress. As if he didn't just find out that he would be married to Ginny Weasley when the clock struck midnight.
1. The Accident

**A/N: Here's a _very_ original, never-before-done, not at all tropey fic about a surprise marriage! Yay! I bet you're so excited to read something so fresh!**

**Jokes aside, this is just for fun. So have fun or else! Assume canon through book 5ish I guess? And then there's some diversions you'll come to know. There will be a longer A/N at the bottom for anyone who follows me as a writer.**

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Accidents Happen

Chapter One: The Accident

-0-0-0-

"Bloody Hell!" A loud clatter echoed through the corridor as a ladder crashed to the floor.

Harry spun around, anxious to find the source of Ron's fury. A deep, belly laugh escaped him when he saw Ron hanging several feet in the air, his hand stuck on the wall. The ladder he had just been standing on lay on the ground, of little use to him now.

"Oh, shut up, Harry. Help me get down!" Ron dangled in the air, his legs kicking furiously at nothing. Harry tried to gain his composure, but couldn't stop laughing at his best mate's impression of Scooby Doo's get-away run.

Ron glared down at Harry, before pointing his wand at his hand, which was fastened tightly on to the wall. "You are no help at all, Harry. _Reglutino!_"

The magic adhesive vanished, and Ron dropped to the ground in a crumpled mess. He let out a loud groan and rolled onto his back. Harry just continued to laugh, and unconcernedly asked, "You alright, mate?"

Ron slowly got to his feet and walked tenderly around for a few moments, testing his ankle. "Yeah…I'll be fine, no thanks to you!"

Harry finally managed to gather himself. "Don't blame me!" he said, defensively.

Ron gave a loud sigh. "Yes, I suppose it's Umbridge I should be blaming for all of this…"

Harry adopted a high pitched, falsely sweet voice. "You will get to learn some practical lessons this week, class. Your homework will involve some very important wand work. You will be putting up Valentine's decorations all around the school."

Ron rolled his eyes and sarcastically said, "Yeah…real practical, Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!" He picked up the ladder, set it against the wall again, and cautiously climbed back to his previous position. He grabbed the banner that hung half on the wall and straightened it out the rest of the way. Careful not to aim his wand anywhere near his hand this time, Ron pointed at the unglued portion of the banner and said, "_Adglutino!_"

Confident that the banner was now hung, he turned back to Harry. "The bonding charm! For the briefest moment, I had hope that that woman would teach us something useful to protect ourselves…"

Harry scoffed at the notion. "Yeah, and I'll…marry your sister," Harry said incredulously, causing Ron to chuckle. "_Adglutino!_" Harry shouted at his own valentine streamers.

Miles away from Ron's laughter, in the Ministry of Magic was the Department of Magical Unions. Unbeknownst to the employees playing Sudoku, Harry Potter's signature appeared on the blank line of a long forgotten and filed away parchment.

-0-0-0-

"Perhaps you are running away from a Death Eater, and you stick his feet to the ground?" Luna Lovegood said to Ginny as she stuck large heart cutouts on the wall.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "You are actually saying that Umbitch's assignment has something to do with Defense?"

Luna thought about it for a minute as she held up another decoration to adhere to the wall. "_Adglutino_! Well, there are several circumstances I can think of when an adhesive would be nice to fend off nargles. Maybe Umbridge had a couple of those uses in mind?"

Ginny scoffed, her own decoration ready for sticking. "Yeah, and I'll…marry Harry Potter," she said incredulously. "_Adglutino!_ I highly doubt she is teaching us anything useful this year—I mean, she's sent third, fourth, and fifth years to do decorations! She probably just doesn't want House Elves to have work to do that they might find _fun_."

Miles away from the bored House Elves of Hogwarts, that same parchment saw some more activity. A second blank line filled with Ginny Weasley's signature.

-0-0-0-

Harry walked through the large crowd of people who were highly enjoying themselves. He was stopped and congratulated several times on his way towards Dumbledore at the end-of-war celebration at the ministry.

"Excellent work, son." An elderly man. He had certainly seen the last war, and probably Grindelwald's as well. Harry smiled and nodded at the man.

"Absolutely tremendous—saved us all again!" A kindly-looking woman with long hair and aged glasses. Probably nearing her forties. He kept his plastered smile on his face, and mumbled some humble words while he pushed passed her.

"Can't thank you enough…" A man not much older than Harry. Harry heard the genuine gratitude in his voice, for which Harry was touched. But he still pushed past quickly after a short nod of acknowledgment.

"What will you do next?" A woman with a press badge. With the _Prophet. _Harry frowned. He hated that question. He hated that this woman thought he owed her an answer when he didn't even want to think about it. He ignored her and moved on. Where was Dumbledore?

He broke free of the bulk of the crowd and searched about.

"And I didn't think your head could get any bigger, Potter." Harry stopped and grinned. He slowly turned around to face the voice.

"Well, I need space for this superior intellect that defeated Voldemort, you see…" Ginny Weasley stood at the bar sporting a beautiful black dress with a drink in hand, and flashed him a grin. A smile came to his face, both at her attractive appearance and at her quip. It had been a game they played for a couple of years after an attack on Hogsmeade. When Harry humbly refused to accept her thanks for saving her life a second time. Ginny had begun calling him a pompous hero, an act that he jokingly played along with in her presence.

"Well, I don't want to inflate your already enormous ego, but I suppose I haven't had time to thank you for killing old Tom. And all before my seventeenth birthday when I could join the fight!"

Harry laughed lightly. "Yeah…sorry about that. I know how much you were looking forward to joining the war efforts."

"Yeah, Harry, think about others before you kill the next Dark Lord. Although, unless there's a Dark Lord in need of killing today, it won't be a problem next time."

Harry nodded. He reached forward and took Ginny's drink from her, making a tsking noise as he did so. "Speaking of which, you can't legally drink this until midnight."

Ginny glared at him. "We're all celebrating, Harry—no one cares that I'm not seventeen for a few more hours."

"Have a good time tonight, Ginny. I'll see you around." He tipped his head back and swallowed her drink, winking at her after he did so.

Harry knew she was staring daggers in his back as he walked away. But he also knew that she would just find a new drink. Their friendship was built around teasing, lighthearted conversation, and escape from seriousness, after all.

After passing a few more gracious (and more than a few inebriated) people, Harry finally found Albus Dumbledore, chatting casually with a woman he had seen once before in the ministry. The older woman turned when she saw Harry. She thanked him for his great service to the country, bid farewell to Dumbledore, and walked into the throng of people celebrating.

Harry turned to Dumbledore. "Good evening, sir."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled down at Harry. "I think we can move past the formalities, Harry. After all that we've been through, and that you're eighteen now." Harry nodded. "You handled yourself very well tonight. I very much enjoyed your speech about moving forward."

Harry leaned against the wall with Albus and looked at the celebrating masses. "After all this country has been through in the past, it's time to look forward."

Dumbledore mumbled his concurrence before questioning, "And have you given any more thought to _your_ future?"

Harry groaned internally. But if he could have this conversation with anyone, it would be Dumbledore. As he opened his mouth to speak, however, he was interrupted by a goblin who had just appeared at his side. "Mr. Potter, I'd like to thank you for your great service to us during this time of war."

Harry turned to look at the goblin closer and smile. "Ah, Ranok, so good to see you. I'm happy I could help."

Harry expected Ranok to turn and leave, but instead, he spoke once more. "While I have you here, I thought I'd ask you what your plans are with your vaults this coming week."

Harry frowned back at Ranok. "I thought we took care of everything when I came of age last year."

Ranok studied him. "Well, we took care of it for you, Mr. Potter. But I was referring to your wife."

Harry stopped short, and Dumbledore, who had been people-watching, looked sharply down at the Goblin. "My what, now? Wife?" Harry asked, a little nervous.

Ranok seemed much less sure of himself now. "Why yes, your marriage to Ginevra Weasley becomes legal and official at midnight."

In Harry's shocked silence, he heard Dumbledore mutter to his side. "And the plot thickens."

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**A/N: Welp, I'm back on my Harry Potter Bullshit. Been a while, eh? Doubt I even have any followers left, but here's to ye anyway. I actually sat at my computer, trying to finish my long-dormant Lord of Immortality fic, and lo and behold, after years away, I _still_ couldn't write it, can you believe it? So, to get back into the flow of things, I picked up this other harmless fic at this chapter and just started _writing_. It felt good! And this Harry and Ginny are a bit closer to my LoI Harry and Ginny, so I hoped it could help me finish up LoI. Keep your fingers crossed, and hopefully you enjoy this in the meantime! I will probably get a bit steamier than my fics have been heretofore. I will give a warning before that particular chapter and change the rating.**


	2. The Hunt

**A/N: Sincere gratitude to all who favorited and followed the fic. Glad it's found some people who might enjoy it! An even _more_ sincere ****gratitude to those who left me a thought or two after the chapter. Just makes my day! **

**Now that I've typed this out, though, I have to wonder if one can have varying levels of sincerity in one's gratitude. I mean, if I have _more_ sincere gratitude for reviews, doesn't that imply my gratitude for favorites and follows _isn't_ sincere, given the definition of the word? Which totally isn't the goal of this increasingly awkward author's note. After all, I love getting a notification about follows and favorites. It's a review of its own sort, y'know? **

**Bottom line: Thanks everyone! (And apparently thanks to certain people a little bit more) Okay, I'll see myself out. Enjoy this chapter.**

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Chapter Two: The Hunt

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"Erm…hey, Ginny."

His voice was nervous, hesitant. Ginny turned around to face him, her eyes narrowed. "You're not here to take away my drink again, are you? Because savior or not, I will hex you."

Harry managed a smile back at Ginny. "No, I'm afraid I've got a bigger problem on my mind at the moment."

Ginny's face fell, concerned and confused. Harry didn't blame her, of course. Their relationship had always consisted of light banter. Truly, he had only good memories of Ginny over the past couple of years, which were a bit hectic for Harry. What with the Voldemort-hunting and such. But Ginny had always been a bright spot when he'd returned to Hogwarts in his brief reprieves from duty. But he'd been singularly focused, then, and Ginny had not been privy to the details of his…other life.

Since the defeat of Voldemort a week earlier, Harry _had_ started to see her differently. Having spent much time around the Weasleys celebrating, he found himself constantly drawn to her-perhaps because of their light friendship amidst such a heavy time. Or perhaps because she was gorgeous and Harry had only just noticed. In any case, she was a friend that he always had fun around but never sought out to solve problems or help him with anything important. That had always been Ron and Hermione's role.

"What is it, Harry?" she asked.

Harry opened and shut his mouth several times without speaking. How could he break this kind of news to her?

"You look like a fish, Harry. Out with it!"

"We're being married tonight!"

Now it was Ginny who looked like a fish as her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "What now? You're getting married?"

Harry shook his head. "No, Ginny. We_, you and I_, are getting married. At least we are being legally bound as soon as you turn seventeen. I don't imagine there will be a wedding, or anything…I mean, I haven't set anything up. I guess it's possible some ministry official will…"

"Harry, shut up! We are not getting married! How did this happen?"

Harry looked back at her. "I've no idea. A goblin just asked me how I wanted to handle my bank vaults with my new wife, and I was like, 'nah, hold up a minute…?' He told me that there is a legally binding document in the Department of Magical Unions with our signatures on them. I never signed anything. And how did the document get made anyway?"

Ginny shook her head in a panic. "Oh Merlin. Oh…MERLIN! Harry, I don't know how that thing got signed! I never signed it!"

"You knew about the marriage papers?" Harry asked incredulously.

Ginny seemed to realize they were still standing among dozens of celebrating people who were now giving them strange looks as their voices rose. She grabbed his arm to pull him away from the masses. They made their way into a nearby office and shut the door.

"Look, Harry. It was a joke! It was two stupid girls egging each other on!"

Harry shook his head, not understanding. "What did you do?"

"You remember my _horrendous_ crush on you my first year?" Harry nodded, so Ginny continued. "Well, I was convinced we were going to fall in love and get married, and I talked about it with Luna all the time. One time she called me out on not even being able to talk to you, so how would we ever get married? So, I said that I was so confident that I would write up a marriage contract and send it to the ministry, and wait for you to come around. There are probably a dozen of those types of licenses from girls all around the country, just waiting for you to fall for them. But, Harry, I wasn't stupid enough to sign it! And I certainly never signed _your_ name!"

Harry shook his head in disbelief. "You wouldn't be able to forge my signature anyway. Too many magical protections on this sort of thing."

They were silent for a moment before Ginny let out an anxious scream. "Harry, we have to stop this from happening! Why at midnight?"

"Well, you've been underage, and therefore not legally able to sign yourself away to be married. Fortunately, your parents' signature didn't _magically_ appear on the contract, too."

Unbeknownst to Harry, his and Ginny's signatures had, in fact, appeared magically, when they had sealed their sarcastic words of marriage consent with the sealing charm (magic had never been all that great at discerning sarcasm). Even had he known this and seen the irony in his statement, Harry likely would not have found it all that funny.

"Anyway," Harry continued. "I'm glad you want to put a stop to this. Dumbledore said he'd go find out what he could, so let's look for him.

The search did not take long. Before they reached the door, Dumbledore walked in, slightly out of breath. In his hands, he held a parchment. It looked very official, but as Harry looked closer, he realized a young girl's handwriting filled in the blanks left by the Ministry issued template. He glared at Ginny, who sighed loudly.

"Yup…that's the one. But that signature is not in my eleven year-old handwriting, see? That must have been in the past couple of years." Ginny shook her head in confusion.

"Mine too," Harry confirmed, and took the parchment in his hand. "Well, I guess it's time to destroy it."

Harry pulled out his wand, but was countered by a loud, "NO!" from both Ginny and Dumbledore.

Harry lowered his wand slowly. "Um….why not?"

"Harry, this contract isn't the magical bond of marriage. It is the proof of it. Destroying this contract will destroy the only way to reverse the marital bonding spell before it occurs tonight."

Harry quickly pocketed his wand and handed the parchment back to Dumbledore, not wanting to be responsible for its destruction. "So what do we do?"

Dumbledore responded quickly. "I've tried everything I can think of to undo the consent, delay the bonding, or void the contract. But it's too protected. I can't get around it. The magic of marriage is much older and more powerful than any of us could overturn. It will take a ministry official with the sole authority to command the magic."

"So let's go find him. He's bound to be here at the party, right? What's his name?"

"Kent Fendmee."

"Of course it is," Harry said with a shake of his head. He headed to the stage where he had just given a speech not twenty minutes earlier. He glanced at his watch and cringed at the late hour. It was eleven o'clock already. They had less than an hour to find this guy.

Stepping up to the microphone, Harry cleared his throat. The magnified sound calmed the room pretty quickly. "I hate to be calling in favors with my fame so quickly after earning it," Harry said with a light smile, and chuckles filled the room. "But if Kent Fendmee is present, or anyone knows where he is, can you come find me and help me out here? Thanks, and enjoy the rest of your evening."

Harry got another round of applause. He didn't know why. He wasn't sure anyone applauding him knew why they were applauding. He didn't dwell on the cultural phenomenon for too long, however, because a young woman soon approached Harry.

"Hello Harry Potter," she said, a seductive smile on her face. "I was trying to think up an excuse to come introduce myself, and you went ahead and gave me one."

She was pretty. Maybe a few years his senior. But Harry could see himself looking past that little detail if she could. He shook his head, surprised at himself for even thinking about that in a time like this. For so many years, he had all but ignored the opposite sex in his quest to defeat Voldemort. Now that that responsibility had vanished, it seemed an invisible shroud had been lifted from his libido, and he was seeing women in a new light for the first time.

"Well I'm glad to have given you the excuse," Harry said easily, and with a smile.

The woman smiled more widely. She held a glass of champagne in her hand and fingered the edge of the rim. "I've always wondered what was next for Harry Potter."

Her words were meant as some sort of opening, Harry was sure. An easy way to continue this banter. Perhaps he could respond with something like, 'Maybe we can find out Friday night. Dinner?'

But instead, the words had the opposite effect. Because not only did he hate the question, and _not_ want to talk about his future with a complete stranger, no matter how pretty, but his immediate future hung over him like a dark cloud. He was embarrassed that his hormones had made him forget it, even for these 10 seconds.

"A tough question," he responded, repressing a sigh. "I'm in a bit of a time crunch, so maybe after I've finished, we can continue this chat?"

The woman didn't sense anything amiss, and extended her hand for Harry to shake. "Gloria Wall, and I work with Kent in the Department of Magical Unions. He had a little too much to drink, so I walked him to his office. Down on level 7."

"Thank you, Gloria," Harry said. "If this business doesn't take too long, I will come back and find you tonight. Otherwise, I'm sure I'll be at the Ministry quite a bit in the near future, and I'll have to drop by and say hello."

"That would be very nice, Mr. Potter." She turned on that note and walked away, and Harry enjoyed the view for a moment before shaking his head and turning back to where Ginny and Dumbledore had been. Ginny was watching him with an odd look on her face. Dumbledore was speaking with Professor Trelawney, rarely a good sign.

"A man betrothed, checking out other women on the eve of his Union," Ginny said with a shake of her head as Harry approached. "Tsk, tsk, Potter."

"Oh, but I promise to be faithful," Harry retorted. "Except that that woman has given me Kent's location, so I may not need to."

Ginny let out a sigh of relief, and Dumbledore glanced at Harry from his conversation with Trelawney. Harry wasn't dropping too many eaves, but it sounded like she was lecturing Dumbledore on the dangers of wooden banisters on north facing stairwells.

The poor old man.

"Well, let's go get him, then," Ginny said. Dumbledore nodded, implying he would be right behind them, as soon as Trelawney's list of perilous oddities had been shared.

They had less than an hour to make it to level 7, find the old man, and reverse the Union before it happened. So they took off for the lift in a hurry. It soon arrived, the pair stepped inside, and Harry pushed the button for level 7. As the doors were closing, Dumbledore looked up from his conversation with Trelawney with a look of panic on his face.

Harry didn't pay it much mind as the lift started its descent. "I think we would have made a ravishing couple," Ginny commented. "I just would've felt bad depriving the world of a bachelor Harry Potter."

Harry felt a smile come to his face. Despite the dire situation, Ginny was still such a fun girl. "You know, maybe we should go through with this. 'Potter marries childhood friend' isn't such a bad headline, considering it would prevent the years of headlines I'll have to deal with."

Ginny turned to him, aghast. "You would marry me to keep yourself out of the spotlight? Where is the egotistical Harry Potter I fell in love with?"

"He got engaged to you, I suppose. That'd be enough to neuter anyone's pride."

"I am quite humbling, aren't I?" Ginny asked. But before Harry could respond, the lift stopped suddenly. The doors didn't open.

"Uh oh."

Harry pulled out his wand and waved it around for a bit, casting a few detection charms he'd learned. Not knowing the foundation of the lift's magical structure, he couldn't determine what the problem was. But he knew they were stuck. And wouldn't be moving anytime soon.

"Can you send Dumbledore a message?" Ginny asked, and for the first time since they got in the lift, Harry heard tension in her voice.

Harry waved his wand and sent a message to Dumbledore via Patronus asking for help with the lift or canceling the Union without them. He turned to Ginny. "I don't want to risk setting off any safeguards by forcing the lift to open, so we'll wait on Dumbledore for a few minutes before we take matters into our own hands."

Ginny nodded just before a silver phoenix-shaped Patronus arrived. "I am looking into the matter of the lift. However, I cannot stop the Union without both of you and your contract, I'm afraid."

They both slid to the ground at the news, recognizing they'd be here for at least a short while. "So," Harry said, trying to infuse humor back into the situation. "Are you a good cook?"

Ginny looked over at him, eyebrow raised. She didn't respond.

"I mean, I can feed myself," Harry continued. "I've had some practice over the years. But if you're anything like your mum, then I'd have to vote passing the cooking responsibilities on to you."

There was a long pause. Harry hadn't seen Ginny so subdued in a long time. He supposed the reality of what was happening had finally hit her.

"Little do you know, Harry," Ginny finally responded, her voice sounding strained to stay light. "From a very young age, I was the one cooking. I taught Mum everything she knows."

Her words playful, her body language anything but.

"Hey," Harry said softly as he scooted over to sit by her and wrapped his arm around her. "We're going to take care of this; don't worry."

His comfort seemed to be all that was necessary to push her bottled feelings out. She leaned against him. He couldn't see her face, but Harry guessed she had tears running down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Harry. I was so dumb to write up that document, and now I've ruined our lives."

Harry shook his head. "You were eleven and did nothing but have a little fun with you friend. This is not your fault. Besides, we'll take care of it. Even if we can't stop it tonight, we'll take care of it tomorrow. No one even has to know."

Ginny looked up at Harry. Tears had not fallen, much to Harry's relief. Though her eyes were certainly moist. "You don't understand, Harry. This isn't just a lawful marriage. This is a Magical Union."

Harry shook his head, confused. "What's the difference?"

Ginny sighed. "Magical Unions are ancient and powerful. There are no annulments, no divorces. These are permanent. Nowadays, witches and wizards will marry lawfully and spend years together, have their first child together, before they will perform a Magical Union. They need to be sure they can be happy."

"So it's permanent?" Harry asked, the weight of the situation finally coming down on him. He leaned his head back against the wall.

"A person can only be united once," Ginny clarified. "It has something to do with life beyond the veil. In any case, we'd be able to split, to remarry lawfully. But we'd never be able to join in Magical Union with another."

"Is it a big deal?" Harry asked. Having never heard of it, Harry didn't think it could be that big of a problem.

"Some don't think so," Ginny said softly. "My family has always held the Magical Union as sacred-something we should strive for. My parents believe it is necessary the keep a family bound even in death."

Harry hit his head harder against the wall in frustration. He wondered if his own parents had received a Magical Union. "Oh Gin, I'm so sorry. We'll figure this out."

Harry stood and removed his wand. They had just over thirty minutes to void the contract.

Looking carefully at some of the magic used to operate the lift, Harry started working through the various spells and ways he could get the doors open without tripping some lockdown ward or sending the lift hurtling down the shaft to their possible deaths.

After a few minutes and careful examination, Harry turned to Ginny. "I think I've got a way to open this door. There's a small chance it will trap us in here tighter or the lift will drop to the bottom floor."

Ginny stood, a determined look on her face. Harry found himself admiring her strength. Even when she was vulnerable minutes ago, she still showed great fortitude. "Do it."

Harry waved his wand and muttered an incantation. The doors creaked open. A floor was right at eye level. The floor below them would be a twelve foot drop, and the one above would be a slight climb, with the ever present fear of getting chopped in half, should the lift start moving again.

"No time like the present," Ginny said, and without another word slid into the open space at their feet and dropped immediately. She tucked into a roll as she landed and stood up quickly from her fall, showing no signs of injury.

Feeling immense pressure to follow her up without the aid of magic, should he be mocked for it, Harry followed suit. The impact hurt a bit, but he also rolled upon landing to remove much of the force.

"Showoff," Harry muttered as he got to his feet. "You know I can legally cast magic and soften your fall, right?"

"Let's just be grateful I've got over twenty minutes before it becomes legal for me," Ginny said as she took in her surroundings. "Floor Five. We've got to drop two more."

They took off at a sprint, neither familiar with this floor, but knowing the general layout of the building. Without speaking the two agreed not to take another lift, but instead use the stairs. They took two steps at a time, without even grabbing the wooden railing.

On the seventh floor, the two ran down hallways, looking for the Department of Magical Unions. The wing of the floor they were currently in was dedicated to Magical Sporting. After a few minutes, they found the correct area and had located the office of Kent Fendmee.

Naturally the door was locked. No one responded to Ginny's hasty knock. Well aware of the laws against such actions, Harry waved his wand in an attempt to unlock the door. When that failed, Harry blew the door off of its hinges.

"Whosit?" Came a drunken call from within. Harry and Ginny stepped in the small office and held up the contract. Fendmee sat at his desk, a red mark on his forehead indicating he'd been sleeping for some time.

"Sir we've got a magical contract and need you to make it void within the next thirteen minutes," Harry stated calmly and set the contract on the table. Fendmee didn't look good. His eyes were unfocused and bloodshot, his hair and clothes a mess, and the alcohol from his breath was starting to make _Harry_ feel buzzed.

"I promise I didn't take the pony," the man slurred in response.

"That's not ideal," Ginny said dryly.

In that exact moment, Dumbledore came around the corner of the office. Taking in the situation, he seemed to grow relaxed. "Ah, you made it. I was worried when I detected some strange magical signatures from the lift."

"This guy is wasted, Dumbledore," Ginny said in a rush, likely never so short with the professor in her life. She didn't seem to care much. "We need some pepper-up potion now."

"Of course," Dumbledore responded and left straight away.

Harry started looking around the office. "For someone to get this plastered, he must be a regular. I wouldn't be surprised if he's got some right in his office."

Ginny agreed with a nod and together they started searching every drawer and cupboard in the office. Aside from finding out the man had a strange horse fetish from various figurines, calendars, and paintings, they came up short.

"Four minutes, Harry," Ginny said in a defeated voice.

Harry sent water from his wand onto the man's face. He sputtered a bit, and his eyes seemed to focus for a moment before he let his head fall flat on his desk.

Harry turned to Ginny. "If Dumbledore doesn't make it here in time," he started and pulled her into a hug. "We're going to talk about this. Okay? We're going to figure something out."

He pulled back to see her nod determinedly at him. "I care about you, Ginny. And this doesn't have to be..." Harry trailed off, completely unsure of what he was going to say.

He was rescued from speaking by Dumbledore sweeping back into the room with surprising agility. He lifted Fendmee's head up and poured the potion down his throat.

After much coughing, sputtering, and ear-steaming, Kent Fendmee was finally able to take in his surroundings. "What's going on?"

Harry grabbed the contract again. "We need you to cancel this union before midnight."

"I can't just cancel this without knowing the situation. What's happened?"

Ginny responded in a rush. "We don't know how this got signed, but when I come of age, Harry's union to me will become binding. We don't want it."

Fendmee looked hard at Harry. "Mr. Potter, what an honor to have you in my office."

"Honor me by canceling it. Please, sir."

Fendmee pulled out his wand and held it to the parchment. Without a wave or incantation, the parchment gleamed gold for a brief moment.

"Uh oh..."

Harry felt his heart sink. He looked at his watch. Midnight.

He had joined in Magical Union with Ginny.

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**A/N: Mmmmk, guys, I know it's tropey and silly, and more than a little contrived. But if it puts Harry and Ginny in a difficult spot, I'm all for the tropes and contrivances! Let's see how these two handle things, shall we?**

**Let me know what you thought! If you want truly sincere gratitude, that is.**


	3. The Implications

**A/N: This isn't the chapter that gets M rated-we're still 2-4 chapters out-but I figured I'd make the change now. No reason to advertise it as being T when I'm, like, 97.4% sure it's gonna go M.**

**Huge thanks to the new readers for making me want to churn these out as quickly as I can! And by readers, I obviously mean the people who _actually_ let me know they were enjoying the fic via review. No no no no no! I'm kidding! Look, I feel kind of bad about the author's note of the previous chapter where I called out the readers who don't leave comments. Let's be honest, I was hiding my manipulations to get reviews behind some iffy joke about the value of reviews. My bad.**

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Chapter 3: The Implications

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Ginny sank into the chair across the table from Kent Fendmee and dropped her head into her hands. Harry immediately went to her side and fell on his knees in front of her, pulling her hands from her face.

"Hey," he said soothingly. "This isn't the end here, okay? Let's figure this out." He kept hold of her hands as he turned his head to Fendmee.

"What are our options here?" he asked.

"You mean you still don't want the Union?" he asked, surprised.

"What has changed in the last thirty seconds?" Harry all but shouted. "Is there a way to cancel it, to undo it?"

Fendmee shook his head sadly. "A timeturner can't even undo what's just been done, my boy," he said. "Now, we can legally annul the Union, but the everlasting bond has been created, and it's a beautiful thing."

"A beautiful thing," Harry repeated. "What's beautiful about two kids being forced to marry against their will?"

"It was gold, Mr. Potter. The contract." He offered no other explanation, but looked at Harry expectantly.

"Oh," Harry responded sarcastically. "It was gold everyone." He turned to Ginny, who looked as confused as he was. "Ginny, it was gold, so we're fine." He turned back to the Ministry Official and gave him his best glower. It was a look he probably needed some work on. "What does gold mean, Fendmee?"

Now looking more than a little offended, Fendmee sat a little taller in his chair. "The Magical Union binds you two beyond death, Mr. and Mrs. Potter. But beyond that, the ancient magic binds the two of you in life in a way that can't well be explained with words. You will feel better empathy towards each other, feel newfound patience for each other, and your love will grow stronger every day you want it to. The golden gleam confirmed what most couples yearn for in their unions, but few actually achieve."

"What's that?" Ginny asked, and Harry found himself happy that she was also in the dark here. He was also glad no one had drawn attention to the fact that she was now Mrs. Potter.

"That the two of you," Fendmee responded, "were perfectly united—requiring a rare pair of complementing personalities, dreams, and desires."

There was a pregnant pause while Harry tried to understand the Ministry man's words. "So you're saying we're meant to be together?" he asked.

"Nobody is 'meant to be,' Mr. Potter. We do the best we can to find someone to be happy with. Some can be happy with many different people. But it is extremely rare to find two so already in sync as you two. And seemingly by accident, to boot." The middle-aged man seemed almost happy at the situation, and that bothered Harry, but he would worry about it later.

Instead he turned his focus on Ginny. He looked at her for a long moment. His friend. She was certainly easy to get along with. And she was as beautiful as anyone he could hope to get. He loved her family to death. She was brave, kind, and strong in a way so few women he had met were.

"Could we make this work?" Harry asked uncertainly, his voice quiet. Her hands were soft in his. He gave them a gentle squeeze. "Could we give it a shot?"

Ginny's mouth dropped. Obviously these were not the words she had been expecting. "Harry, are you serious? Why would you want that?"

A pit of self-consciousness formed in Harry's gut. He had been looking at this all from his own perspective, assuming for some strange reason that she could want a life with him. He stood up from his knees at that point and turned away. "You're right. I'm sorry. Of course you wouldn't want—"

"No, Harry," Ginny interrupted and stood to grab his hand back. "I just mean...you'd be giving up your life. You're probably the number one bachelor in the country right now—and you'd be throwing that future away."

Harry frowned and turned back around to face her. "Why would that future matter if this one could be better? Besides, if we give it a shot and it doesn't work, what would the difference be between annulling in a month and doing it now? Isn't it worth potentially saving the Union?"

Ginny flushed. She wouldn't meet his eyes. Her mouth opened, then shut, like the words she needed to say couldn't find their way out of her mouth. It was only then that Harry remembered they weren't alone in the room. He turned a questioning eye to Fendmee.

"You must consummate the Union today," he responded.

Harry felt his mouth drop. "Oh, come on!" he shouted. "I'm not gonna..." He turned to Ginny who still wouldn't look at him. "I can't ask that of you. This is absurd. I don't think I've even _hugged_ Ginny until today."

"Harry's right—we can't do that." Her voice was defeated, and Harry felt his heart break for her. He imagined she had dreamed of a true and loving Magical Union her whole life—and she was stuck with this shit storm.

"What happens to normal people if an accident happens the day of their Union and they can't have sex?" Harry asked in disbelief, not caring about his lack of tact. "They get busy or hospitalized, or the guy can't get it up under the pressure?"

Fendmee gasped at Harry's language, but he didn't care. He might've heard Ginny chuckle to his side though.

"Well, they've normally got the day planned very well, but I suppose they would take it as a sign that the Union would've been a bad idea. Maybe they're grateful they aren't destined to an eternity with the other person."

Harry scoffed, and Dumbledore spoke for the first time in a long time. He had seemed happy to let things play out until now. Perhaps he felt Harry's mounting frustration and wanted to put an end to it.

"Might I suggest we all go home and go to bed. You won't be able to decide anything of this magnitude until your minds have rested and, perhaps, some of the alcohol consumed has left your systems."

This added to Harry's frustration, but he agreed, even if he didn't think he'd get much sleep. So he turned to Ginny who had a brave face on. It was awkward, but the urgency of the situation seemed to make that vanish.

"What do you say? We go home—to our respective homes, I mean—" Harry bumbled, angry that he had made this even more uncomfortable. But Ginny smirked at him, and Harry let out his unease in a short laugh. "We sleep it off," he continued. "And we meet tomorrow morning. Talk about it some more."

"Who knows," Ginny added with a smile. "Maybe we'll fall madly in love in one day and won't be able to keep our hands off each other."

Harry crossed his fingers. "Let's hope."

Ginny nodded. Then they stood there for a long moment. "So...do we hug or something?"

Ginny laughed and pulled him in tight. "Thanks for being so calm about all of this, Harry. Can you imagine Ron in your shoes?"

Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny and squeezed her back. "Well, I assume he'd be disgusted at the implication of incest, but..."

Ginny pulled back and hit him on the arm with a grimace. "You prat! With someone else. Now I've got to add that horrid image to my jumbled thoughts tonight, thank you."

Harry just laughed. "I'll be by the Burrow in the morning, then. Are you going to tell anyone?"

Ginny thought for a moment. "I don't think so. Mum will just confuse me more with her complicated desire for us to be together and her terror at losing her precious daughter. Hermione doesn't understand my feelings on Magical Unions, so she wouldn't help from that perspective."

"Okay," Harry said, secretly glad that this would stay between them for the time being. "Well, can I walk you home at least?"

Ginny shook her head. "I need some alone time, and I'm seventeen now. I think I'll use my newfound freedom to apparate home. Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, Gin," Harry responded. and with that, Ginny left the room. Harry turned to Dumbledore.

"We can't do this, right?"

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "For two people thrust into such an unwelcome and jarring situation, you've both handled it remarkably well—and together, I might add. Perhaps deep down, you recognize it might be plausible."

"I've kissed one girl in my life, Albus," Harry said. "And it was not the best experience. Now you're asking me to sleep with a girl by the end of the day."

"Clearly you both must want it and accept it," he responded. "However, don't let fear or lack of experience ruin what might be a good thing."

Harry nodded, but determined to leave the matter for the night. He bid his farewell to both men in the office and headed for the lifts without thinking. He took one back to the main floor were the party was winding down. The crowd had diminished significantly, and Harry passed by them on his way to the apparation point.

"Harry!" came a feminine voice from his left. Harry turned to see the young woman he'd talked to earlier.

"Hi Gloria," Harry responded, his voice sounding very tired to him. He was amazed at how little reaction this woman was getting out of him. She had seemed so pretty an hour earlier, enticing even. Now, he only had one witch on his mind. Harry couldn't help but wonder if it was because of the situation, or because of the girl.

"Were you able to find Kent?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, but I've still got to work out my problem. I apologize if I'm coming across short with you, but I've got to go."

Gloria's smile seemed so much more fake now than it had earlier. "No problem, Harry. I understand you're a busy man."

"Thank you," Harry responded and finished his trek to the apparation point. He arrived at Grimmauld Place, kicked off his shoes, and dropped his robes to the ground in his bedroom. He fell on his bed and let out a long breath, suddenly very exhausted from the evening's events.

He drifted to sleep much faster than he expected, his final thoughts being of Ginny. And he found the thoughts oddly calming, all things considered.

-0-0-0-

"Come in, Harry!" Molly said with far too much energy the next morning. "I'm just firing up the stove for some breakfast. You must join us."

"Oh, Molly, I couldn't possibly. I'm just here for..." Harry trailed off, now suddenly very unsure of how to treat the situation. "I'd love to," he said, instead.

Molly beamed at him, and they walked into the kitchen together, Harry offering to help her out.

Even though he no longer lived here, the Burrow would always be home. And Molly would always be like a second mum to him. When she guided him over to the sizzling bacon and gave him some simple instructions, a smile came to his face. Because…because maybe the Burrow could _actually_ be a second home. Maybe Molly could, in fact and in law, be a second mum to him. And maybe he shouldn't hope for this marriage to stick strictly for these reasons, but Harry had to admit it made the idea a whole lot easier to entertain. Ron would be his _brother_.

His smile slipped, however, when Molly, distractedly setting out placemats and silverware, asked The Question. "So have you thought about what you're going to do next, Harry?"

He sighed. He supposed he should be able to talk about this with her at least. And yet, as he fried bacon and flipped pancakes, Harry's eyes darted around the room for something to distract her with. And as if sensing his needs, his wife appeared.

She was dressed simply this morning, some white shorts and a tight, cobalt top. Her red hair fell effortlessly over her shoulders, and Harry let his eyes fall just a little bit more, taking in the curves of a beautiful young woman. He couldn't help but think about what needed to happen tonight, but shook his head before he let his mind wander too far.

Harry felt a smile come to his face at her presence. She smiled back at him. Though the situation was certainly awkward, Harry was happy to see her.

"Happy Birthday, Gin," Harry said softly.

"Thank you, Harry," was the simple and genuine reply that had Harry feeling all sorts of warm.

"Oh, Ginny," Molly said, stepping back from the table. She glanced quickly between Harry and Ginny with a glint in her eye. "Happy Birthday, Dear. Please help Harry finish up in here. I've got some wash to hang."

Molly looked back at the two with a wistful look on her face as Ginny put on an apron. After she left the kitchen, Ginny leaned over to whisper in Harry's ear. He liked the closeness of her. "She thinks she's being sneaky, trying to get us together. Little does she know we're already married."

Harry snorted, nearly sloshing the bacon grease out of the pan in the process. The sleep had indeed done them both good, allowing the fear and uncertainty to nestle into their subconscious. Now they could approach the situation as themselves, minus the hysteria.

"I have to wonder if it would have felt this obvious if yesterday hadn't happened," Harry wondered aloud while Ginny adjusted the stove to cook the eggs slower.

Ginny raised an amused eyebrow and watched him out the corner of her eye. "Harry...I don't know how to tell you this. It's been obvious for a couple of years now. You've just been oblivious."

Harry felt his jaw drop involuntarily. "You mean your mum has been trying to pair us off for years?"

"It's been mortifying," Ginny replied with a chuckle. "Fortunately for me, you were an idiot teenage boy with bigger problems than being asked to degnome the garden with me. Or how Ron was always asked to go out to the coop so we would be forced to hang out for a few extra minutes. Harry, you're burning the bacon."

"Shit!" Harry cursed, his attention pulling back to his frying pan. His face was burning as bad as the bacon after Ginny's revelation, but when she laughed—not melodious, but loud and real and...Ginny—Harry found he didn't mind his embarrassment. At the bacon _or_ his ignorance.

Instead, he just grinned at her. "Well, I can't say I love the reason for my awakening, but I'm glad I'm finally seeing it. Or you, I guess," he finished lamely. "Glad I'm seeing you."

And Ginny didn't laugh at him this time for his bumbling. She blushed. Pretty and red and over her whole face, and down her neck a little, too. Harry let his gaze linger on her. She turned back to her eggs and cleared her throat.

"Harry, you're still burning the bacon."

The two continued to work together to prepare a large breakfast. Ginny informed Harry that Fred and George were joining them this morning, as they often did. Between those two and Ron, her mum had to make enough breakfast to feed an army.

Harry loved working in the kitchen with Ginny. They laughed as Harry overcompensated with some undercooked strips of bacon on the next batch. Ginny grinned when Harry expressed his love for the gravy as she fed him from the stirring spoon. He couldn't help but imagine doing this every morning with her. He rather liked the thought.

Molly came back in just as they finished setting the table. "Oh look how great the two of you work together," she said obviously. Harry caught Ginny's eye and they burst into laughter again. Molly beamed at them.

The moment was interrupted by Fred and George's arrival. Ron happened to stumble into the kitchen then, too, hair mussed from sleep. "My dear brothers, you have a sixth sense for knowing when the food is finished so you don't need to help."

Ron and Ginny sat on opposite sides of the table. Harry found himself walking right over to Ginny without even thinking. He took a seat next to her, and it wasn't until he saw Ron's confused and curious gaze that he wondered if he should be more subtle about things.

He shrugged it off, figuring that by the end of the day, they'd either be telling the family that they were married, or be able to leave this day and all that happened in the past. Between the brothers' concerned glances and Molly's broad smile at them, Harry started to rethink joining them for breakfast. But he felt Ginny slip her hand into his and squeeze gently under the table. And suddenly, he wasn't so worried about her family.

He squeezed her hand back and smiled at her. Merlin, she was pretty. They held each other's gaze for a moment longer than necessary, and Harry thought he saw something flicker behind Ginny's eyes.

Something shifted in the air. In Ginny. Throughout breakfast, she grew reserved. She withdrew her hand from his, stopped engaging in conversation, and pushed her food around her plate instead of eating it. Her lips barely even twitched when Fred regaled them with a tale of soon-to-be fourth year Jack Meisoff who had bought a light love potion for his fifth year crush, accidentally took it himself, and spent the next twenty four hours staring at himself in the bathroom mirror with the door locked.

"At least, that was _his _version of what happened," Fred concluded. "But based on his mum's hollering, I'm guessing he did a whole lot more than _look_ at himself all day long."

Ron laughed loudly. Molly scowled at him, and gave him a lesson on appropriate breakfast conversation. And Ginny merely gave a half-hearted chuckle.

When everyone finished their meals, she bolted for the door, claiming she needed some fresh air.

Harry frowned after her. What had happened? He thought things had been going so well. They were laughing together; she had held his hand. And then…

"Mate, wanna go for a fly?"

Harry startled at Ron's question. He'd honestly forgotten the rest of the Weasleys were still at the table, starting to clean up. Ron's suggestion sounded kind of nice, but Harry preferred a different flying partner today.

Luckily, Molly seemed to be on a mission, and set Ron on cleaning duty. Harry decided to take advantage of the situation and pulled Molly aside. "Thank you so much for breakfast, Molly," he began.

"Oh, please, dear. It was you and Ginny that did all the work."

Harry nodded. "That's what want to talk to you about, actually. I'd like to steal the Birthday girl for the morning, if you don't mind."

Molly smiled so widely, Harry feared her face might split. "Of course I don't mind, dear. I think the two of you are just lovely."

"I hope so, too, Molly," Harry said, surprised at how forward he was being. Then again, he was married to the girl, and if the marriage held after today, he'd be glad for this talk to ease Molly into the bigger news. "But I don't want Ron's worries to get in the way for today. I was hoping you could cover for us?"

Molly nodded excitedly. "Of course, dear. Do have fun!"

Harry smiled at the matronly woman and kissed her cheek in gratitude. And before she could say another word or Ron could finish the dishes, Harry hurried to find Ginny. She was out on the back porch, staring at the blue, morning sky.

"Alright?" he asked lamely.

She shook her head. "What are we doing, Harry?"

He frowned. "Figuring things out, I hoped?"

She turned to him finally. She looked so sad, and it hurt Harry to see it.

"This morning—it's all fake, isn't it?"

Harry's stomach dropped. Now _that_ hurt. His offense must have shown in his eyes because Ginny apologized immediately. "No, I don't mean—Harry, I don't mean _you're_ fake. Or even I'm fake. I just...you've never noticed me like this. You never would have looked at me like you did this morning."

_Oh_.

"Well then I was an idiot. Or busy fighting Dark Lords, maybe," Harry said, only now realizing one of his calling cards was deflecting with humor. Ginny didn't laugh. He took a step towards her and reached for her arms, grateful that she didn't flinch. "Look, the circumstances are what they are. We can't change that or wonder 'what if.' What we can do is figure this out."

She sighed and closed her eyes. "I know you're right. And I know if anyone knows how to handle being forced into a situation, it's the Chosen One himself," she added wryly. "But I still can't get rid of this feeling."

Harry squeezed her arms reassuringly. "What feeling?"

She met his eyes sadly. "I—never mind, Harry. I don't want to talk about it right now."

He released her and clenched his fists. He hated seeing her sad. His stomach twisted when she sighed and looked away again. He hated that he was causing this, and thought desperately on how to fix it—but how could he, without knowing what she was feeling or why she was feeling it?

He wanted to press her. He wanted to press her so badly his mouth opened and shut no fewer than six times. He supposed he looked a bit like one of those sock puppets Neville had made when he put on that outrageous Christmas puppet show a couple years back. It had gotten less-than-stellar reviews in the School paper. Hermione had tried to keep Neville from finding out. It couldn't have been nice to read "writer/director/performer Neville Longbottom should probably focus on his purported gift of Herbology, because I'd rather watch Mandrakes perform _A Christmas Carol_ than have to sit through Longbottom's version again."

Still, looking at Ginny's refusal to elaborate, Harry held his tongue. His eyes bore into her, and he willed her to talk to him, but he kept his mouth shut. And when the silence dragged for endless seconds, he finally let himself breathe and table his desires. They had the whole day. And he had to prove himself worthy of this conversation.

"Okay, then," he said at last. "Can you put that feeling on hold, and find out what other feelings we might have?"

Ginny smiled softly and nodded. "Yeah. I think I can."

Harry felt his shoulders relax. He hadn't realized how stiffly he'd been standing. "Good, want to go for a fly?"

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**A/N: When I look back on this fic, I want the the author's notes to be like journal entries on my relationship with readers and their reviews. Like, chapter 2 was sarcastic and needy. Chapter three is just a _little_ bit penitent, while also still a little bit needy, too. Like, 'what should I say here to not beg for reviews again while still not letting them off the hook?'**

**This is what we call a failure. Still sarcastic and needy. Maybe I am who I am, and I should just lean in to it?**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you thought **please**! **


	4. The Date

**A/N: Alright everyone...let's shut it down! This author's note thing is getting out of hand. The first couple reviews on the last chapter were about my Author's Notes instead of the story! I read the reviews, laughed out loud, and then said to myself, "I deserve this." I've been out of control, and it's time to let my story speak instead of this drivel that bookends each chapter. Incidentally, I've felt the need to write this all in an author's note like the blatant hypocrite that I am. How do you put up with me?**

* * *

Chapter Four: The Date

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Harry flew behind Ginny, watching her move through the air with awe. He'd known she could fly—he'd watched her take his spot in his fifth year and then captained her for portions of his sixth year, after all. But he'd missed Quidditch his final year at Hogwarts, off saving the world and what-not. And he'd forgotten how great she was on a broom. Or maybe she'd just gotten better and he was only now noticing.

Another thing he was only now noticing was the way her backside filled out those white shorts of hers. It was a dangerous thing to observe, considering what tonight might entail. It was like watching the muggle news, and his everyday life was playing out on screen. But on the news ticker, there was only one bit of news that endlessly scrolled along the bottom of the screen. "You are going to have sex with Ginny Weasley tonight."

No matter how many times Harry shook his head to clear the thought. No matter how many times he reminded himself it probably wouldn't happen, and that they'd more than likely let the Magical Union die and move on. No matter how often he pointed out how little experience he had with girls, and how he'd probably fuck up fucking.

It continued its continuous loop. "You are going to have sex with Ginny Weasley tonight."

So Harry decided he couldn't trail behind Ginny any longer, staring at her backside and trying not to stare at her backside.

Besides, flying was more difficult with a full erection, and he'd rather not continue to do so.

He caught up to Ginny and they slowed their speed. He hadn't really noticed until now, but Ginny had led them far away from the Burrow.

"I probably should've told mum that I was going flying," Ginny muttered, glancing back in the direction they'd flown from. "Even after your heroics and saving the world, she's still not comfortable with me being out of her sight."

Harry smirked at her and ignored her attention to his deeds. It set him at ease, knowing their playful relationship hadn't faded after their forced marriage. "I wouldn't worry too much. I told her I was taking you out for the morning."

Ginny swung her broom so quickly she nearly ran into Harry, who had to swerve to avoid the collision. "You told my mum you were taking me out? Like on a date?"

Harry frowned and tried to remember how the conversation went. "I think it was kind of implied, yeah. Like a date."

She looked concerned. Maybe confused. And that made Harry confused. And maybe concerned. "Was that wrong?" Harry asked. "I mean, I know you didn't want to tell her that we're married yet, but after the way she was acting this morning with us, and I didn't want Ron to bother us, so I just asked her to run a little interference, and maybe I should've asked you about, like, a date, specifically, instead of just assuming you would want to spend some time together, and now you're kind of making me nervous that I screwed up, and I promise I never meant—"

"Harry, shut up!" Ginny interrupted with a smile. "It's not bad. I'm just surprised is all. If this day doesn't go perfectly, then you've just painted us into an awkward corner with my mum, that's all."

"Oh." Harry frowned again. He wondered briefly what the day going perfectly would entail, but she cut off that thinking, too.

Ginny flew closer and squeezed his arm. "And yes, I'm happy to go on something like a date with you. I'm really rather flattered that you'd risk it like that with my mum." Then she smirked. "Or maybe just concerned that my husband doesn't think through his actions all that much."

Harry laughed. "I play to win, Ginny."

"That is true," Ginny agreed. "I should've remembered from your days as my Quidditch captain. Yelling at me all the time."

Harry laughed again, this time because he knew he never yelled at Ginny. She might have been the one person he never did raise his voice with. Not that he favored her, of course. She was just the perfect teammate and Chaser. He hadn't needed to correct her on anything. Except that one time she was flirting with Dean and distracting the team...

The pair flew down lower to the tops of the trees, but remained at their leisurely pace. Normally, Harry wanted to race through the skies at breakneck speeds. Today, he found he'd rather just be next to Ginny.

"I missed it," Harry said when they'd reached their new altitude.

"Quidditch?" Ginny asked, understanding in her tone.

Harry nodded. "And flying in general. I missed the way the wind feels in your hair. The thrill of dropping faster than gravity. The metal of a snitch in my hand. You know what the craziest thing is? I missed the roar of the crowd when I won a game."

"That's not crazy at all," Ginny said. "We've always known you're an attention-seeking narcissist."

Harry laughed yet again, but Ginny quickly rectified her statement with an earnestness he was only now beginning to see and appreciate. "You've always downplayed your victories over Voldemort," she said quietly, and seemed very interested in the tree they were passing over. "Always pointed to the help you've received, the sacrifices others made to bring him down. Being a Seeker...Quidditch was the one thing that was definitively yours. _You_ earned each of those wins for you and your teammates, so it was applause you could finally accept."

Harry looked thoughtfully at Ginny, surprised at her insight that rang so true. He felt unsettled at how well she seemed to know him.

"I'm also sad I missed all three of Gryffindor's games last year," Harry said, carefully shifting the conversation away from himself. He already knew about himself. He needed to know about her. "But I heard from Ron how brilliant you were each time I came back to Hogwarts."

Ginny shrugged. "It was a good season. Missed our star Seeker though."

"Why didn't you play as Seeker? Ron says you're loads better than that Greene kid who took my spot."

"Unlike you," Ginny playfully nudged his shoulder as they flew. "I like teamwork. And Seeking just doesn't have the same thrill to it. Too much waiting around."

"Sounds like you just don't understand the intricacies of the position," Harry jabbed back with a grin.

"Nah, I'm just above them," she said with a haughty sniff of her nose.

He made a noise somewhere between a scoff and a chuckle. "Maybe it's the challenge," he said thoughtfully. He appraised her when she glanced over at him. "Last season, you beat Ravenclaw with the one snitch catch Greene had all year. Blew them out by over 300 points as I recall. You lost to Hufflepuff when the match ended early, and their Seeker—what was her name?"

"Bender," Ginny said, eyebrows raised at Harry. "Jess Bender."

"That's right," Harry nodded. "The match ended when Bender caught the snitch the earliest she's ever caught it in her life. But Slytherin...yes, Slytherin was what it's all about. You beat them despite Malfoy catching the Snitch."

Ginny turned away from him, all the answer he needed. He grinned and summed it all up. "Ginny Weasley wants to prove that she can win games 10 points at a time. Final score 280 – 270. Ron had a nice game, sure, but as I heard it, it was your lockdown defense of Urquhart that stunted the Slytherin offense. And how many points did you score? That's right. 160. 10 more than I have ever scored in a match."

"I had a nice game," Ginny mumbled, still not facing Harry.

"Including the game-winning goal just seconds before Malfoy caught the Snitch," Harry added.

She finally turned to him, face flushed. "How do you know all this?"

Harry frowned. "What do you mean? The match results? It's my house and it was my team for six years. Of course I'd follow it closely."

Ginny shook her head. "No, how do you know the details? And my goal count? How do you know why I play Chaser?"

Harry tilted his head, stumped by the question. He was no Hermione. He didn't have her mind for memorization. "I guess I just took extra care of your play. You were my best Chaser, after all."

The air was thick with _something_, Harry couldn't decide what. But the look she gave him made him feel like a rare plant under Neville's scrutinous inspection. He wanted to squirm under her gaze, but found himself smiling instead. He liked Ginny looking at him like this. Trying to figure him out.

Though he was starting to feel like she'd always had him figured out.

Ginny finally seemed to recognize her intense stare, and shook her head. "Well, let's just see who the better flyer is, then. The star Seeker, or the star Chaser. Wanna play a round of follow the leader?"

Harry's arousal after following behind Ginny had diminished some time ago, but the memory and embarrassment of it lingered. "Okay, but I lead."

-0-0-0-

Even before he'd been married to her, Harry had known Ginny was a beautiful girl. Hell, even before he'd defeated Voldemort a week ago, and his hormones finally didn't have the distraction of a madman, he'd known she was pretty—even if he'd never let his mind wander much further than that.

However, now that his libido was in full swing _and_ he'd been blindsided by a Magical Union, Harry could unequivocally say Ginny was the most gorgeous girl he'd ever seen. If he let himself be crass for a moment, he could admit her breasts weren't as big as some girls her age, or her figure was more athletic than built for modeling or stripping. Her face had a few blemishes beyond the cute smattering of freckles. She was shorter than average. And he'd heard her sing once, and knew if he stayed married to her, his ears would be punished for it.

But Harry also knew, looking at her now—hair windswept, face flushed from the exhilaration of a good fly, and chest heaving deeply as she caught her breath—he'd hit the jackpot in this accidental Magical Union.

They had landed in a clearing near the Burrow, and Harry let his eyes wander across her face. From her rich chocolate eyes, over her freckled nose, down to her full, red lips. He wanted to kiss them. He wanted to hold her face and run his thumb along her cheek. He wanted to card his hands through that radiant hair of hers.

It struck him that he wouldn't change a thing about her.

"Will you go to lunch with me?" Harry asked without any preamble.

If she'd caught him staring, Ginny didn't say anything. Instead she smiled simply at him. "Is this a new tactic of yours? Spend all day with me to see if you can't handle a day with your wife?"

Harry laughed. "An unintended bonus," he admitted. "But really, I'm just having a really nice time, and want to spend more time with you."

Her smile broadened, white teeth showing and eyes crinkled with happiness. Harry's stomach swooped at the sight. "Harry, I didn't know you were such a charmer!"

Harry scoffed. "Who knew all this time I just needed to be honest?"

Her eyebrows lifted. "Careful Harry. If you keep saying the right things like this, I might just jump you and make our choice about tonight."

Ginny's eyes widened at her words, and Harry's laughter caught in his throat. Because what she said was funny, but this was the first time they'd even broached the subject of tonight. And truth be told, the conversation terrified him. He didn't want to have it yet. Not when he wasn't even sure she wanted to go to lunch with him yet.

"So, is that a 'yes' to getting food?" he asked, and Ginny looked caught between relief and frustration that he moved on so quickly from her comment.

"That is a 'yes'," she confirmed. Harry held out his hand, which she took, and then he turned on the spot.

For the last year, Harry had often been on the run. He'd leave Hogwarts to find a Horcrux or to sniff out a Death Eater hideout. Sometimes he got separated from Dumbledore, and he'd be on his own for a few days at a time without an easy way back to Hogwarts. It was important to lie low for a spell before making his way to a safe house to floo back to the school.

He had discovered the best place to hide was in muggle London. He could wander the streets without any invisibility cloak or disguise. He could go to restaurants and stay in hotels. It certainly beat hiding in the woods in a crappy tent with nothing but canned beans to eat.

So he was familiar with a few places downtown, and was really quite excited to see Ginny in this unfamiliar environment.

She did not disappoint. Her eyes were full of wonder at the way muggles had made do without magic. Her curiosity nearly rivaled her father's, and she pestered Harry with questions when they rode the underground a few stops to get to his favorite restaurant.

She didn't necessarily blend in, with her "oohs" and "ahs" catching a passerby's interest. But Harry saw a love for and willingness to be a part of this world that had become his safe-haven.

When they sat down at last, Ginny was still buzzing with energy, watching the waiters and other customers. He observed her endearing behavior, and couldn't help checking a couple of imaginary boxes in his head. He hadn't written a list or anything, and he hadn't even known it was important to him until he brought her here. But she could be happy here.

It made him smile.

Harry didn't want to live in Muggle London, of course. He knew his future was in the magical world, and he was happy about that. But he needed an escape, and he'd prefer it if his wife could join him in that escape.

Lunch went splendidly, aside from the awkward young waiter who clearly thought Ginny was something special, and couldn't help some terribly misguided attempts at flirting. Harry couldn't blame the kid. After all, he had eyes. He could see Ginny. If anything, he had a small amount of respect for the kid for taking his shot, given how unaggressive it was.

Still, Harry hoped the kid knew "Normally I don't disparage our own food, but these chicken legs sure could learn a thing or two from yours" was an absolutely horrendous line, that he beat himself up for it when he retreated to the kitchens, and never used it again.

"I'm so happy you like it here, Ginny," Harry said after the uncomfortable moment had passed and Ginny moaned her approval of her dish.

"Like it?" she repeated through a mouthful of chicken that Harry decided he'd have to try next time they came here, regardless of the awful pick-up line that came with it. "I love it! Have you come here often?"

Her excitement was contagious, and Harry found himself gushing like a geyser. It started with detailing his favorite dishes. But with only a little prompting, he explained to her his purpose for being a regular in the muggle world. And then, without him even realizing it, he started talking about his _feelings_ about the past couple of years. Harry hadn't talked this much since George had tested the new 'Mouth Laxative' on Harry without him knowing it. "It did its job," Harry and a whole focus group had explained to George. "But the name needs to change."

Without being under the influence, Harry had never opened himself up like this. Not even to Ron or Hermione.

"It was hard sometimes," Harry said as he finished up a small bowl of ice cream that concluded his lunch. Ginny licked her own spoon, and Harry watched her mouth curiously for a moment before shaking his head of the image.

"You mean hard work that you and Dumbledore were doing?" Ginny asked patiently, not noticing or not commenting on his distraction.

Harry thought for a moment. "That was difficult at times; dangerous, too. But I just mean...Hogwarts was my first real home. And I didn't really get a final year there, you know?"

Ginny's eyes shone with sympathy. "You were robbed of what should've been your best year."

Harry shrugged. "That's how I felt some times last year, yeah. And I know what I did was necessary. For me and for the rest of the country. But it still sucked. Even the time I _was_ there didn't feel the same. We'd be gone for days, weeks at a time sometimes. Missed all of March and April. And while Dumbledore did very well teaching me while I was away, every time I came back to Hogwarts felt like I was a stranger in a new town."

Ginny nodded thoughtfully. "You always did look uncomfortable when you first returned. I never knew what to do to help."

Harry smiled at her, touched that she had been thoughtful of him in his hard times. "And yet you were probably the one person that made me feel normal," Harry said, realizing it was the truth for the first time. He grinned "I mean, you were always pointing out my fame and ego, but being able to laugh at it made it feel fake in a way? I dunno, but it really helped."

Ginny reached across the table and squeezed his hand. "I'm so glad. I figured the best thing I could do was just be myself with you."

"Thank you,' Harry said earnestly. "I'm just sad I couldn't get to know you even better."

"Well," Ginny said with a nervous tilt of her head. "Depending on how things go, we may have a lifetime for that, right?"

"Or even more than a lifetime," Harry mumbled. It was just loud enough for Ginny to hear, and it gave them both pause. If the Magical Union was everything he'd been told it might be, that's what they were in store for. And the thought terrified and thrilled him.

"Harry," Ginny started, and Harry knew Ginny was anxious to have this conversation. For the second time now, she had brought it up. And for the second time, Harry found himself shying away from the discussion they needed to have. Was it denial? Was it simply him wanting to collect more information and more data to make a decision this everlasting?

Unsure of which hypothesis he was proving, Harry blurted out, "Want to go see a muggle film, Gin?"

A flash of irritation at being interrupted was followed quickly by one of confusion. "Erm…what?"

"I just…I don't really know what people do on dates. Except I know muggles go to the cinema."

Ginny frowned. "Isn't that the thing where you just sit in a dark room silently and watch an image?"

"A moving image," Harry supplied, as if it made his suggestion any better. "It's a two-hour story."

Ginny just glared at him. "So, we have ten more hours to make the biggest decision of our lives, and you want to sit next to me in silence for two of them?"

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but he had nothing to respond with. She was right. Of course she was right. He was being absurd, and there was no way to refute that. But still, he did _not_ want to have this conversation yet.

Ginny huffed and crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair. "You were the one who wanted to 'figure things out,' Harry. And now I try to have the conversation and you keep avoiding it."

Indignation swelled in Harry and he clenched his fists tightly around his fork. "Hang on, _you're_ the one who wouldn't talk to _me_ this morning. You can't get mad at me for doing the same thing!"

Her face turned red, but Harry was impressed when she took a deep breath and turned her head to the side instead of lashing back at him. "You're right. That is unfair of me. But it's also not the same thing. What I didn't want to talk about this morning is a personal hang up, and one that I need to sort out for myself first. You won't have a conversation about _our_ future, Harry. It's something we need to decide together."

"Well maybe I've got some personal hang ups that are keeping me from addressing it," Harry said, now regretting throwing her own problem back in her face.

"Do you?" Her question was sincere, and it made Harry finally take a moment to reflect.

But his mind remained blank. Like he couldn't even process the mammoth question in front of him and the strict time limit associated.

"I don't know," was his honest reply.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, Harry. I've got to go home anyway. Mum wants to throw me a birthday party this evening, as I'm sure you were aware. If you figure your shit out, we can talk then. Otherwise…"

She let the implications hang in the air. Otherwise they both lose out on the chance at a Magical Union forever. Otherwise they move on and forget about all of this. Otherwise Harry can have his life without Ginny.

That didn't feel right. After most of this day feeling right, Ginny being gone did not.

But Ginny had stood and walked away before he could tell her. Though in his current state, Harry doubted he would've said anything anyway.

Some date.

* * *

**A/N: I'd just like to point out that I'm not putting an author's note here hoping that you enjoyed the chapter and asking for reviews...**

**...**

**Damn it!**


	5. The Party

**A/N: Alright pals, this was my favorite chapter to write to date! It just had such a fun balance of fluff and fun for me. Hope you enjoy!**

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Chapter Five: The Party

-0-0-0-

"She's beautiful. Like…so gorgeous I can't believe I didn't truly notice until this week. And funny. Merlin, is she funny! Today, we just talked for hours. And my cheeks hurt from the smiling. We talked about real things, and about dumb things. She's as good as me at Quidditch. And when we were on our brooms together, it just felt right, you know?

"She does this thing. It's silly, and it's funny. But it's important. She pretends like I'm a big deal. But she's _pretending_. And she knows she's pretending, and I know she's pretending, and anyone who overhears us knows she's just joking around. She'll say, 'Oh, the great Harry Potter has graced us with his presence.' But it's funny and charming and good-humored; not like when Malfoy does it. Not at all like that.

"And because she's _pretending_ I'm a big deal…I'm not a big deal. You know? We _joke_ about me being the Chosen One, so when I'm with her I'm not the Chosen One. Because it's a joke, right?

"I don't know if this makes any sense. But it feels so right. And it feels so good to be with her. And I think I really fucked things up."

Harry took a sharp breath. "Sorry for my language, Mum."

And it struck Harry then that he didn't know if his mum would be offended by such language. He didn't know her at all. He looked at the tombstones of his parents. They were simple. Names, dates, and a short inscription.

'Unified in love, in life, and in death. Their sacrifice will be felt forever.'

The word hadn't been peculiar to Harry until today. Unified. Had his parents entered a Magical Union together? Were they reaping the rewards even in death?

Harry hoped so. And he hoped he could too. He regretted how things ended with Ginny today. He wished he'd been able to express himself better. That he could explain his hesitations _and_ his hopes. But how could he put feelings into words when those feelings were so jumbled _Harry_ couldn't even make sense of them?

He didn't know. But, he'd learned that he could at least try. He owed Ginny that much.

And so he made a plan. He went to his vault to fetch his mum's wedding ring, just in case. Then he went home, and cleaned Grimmauld Place with the help of Kreacher, just in case. His bedroom was of particular focus, just in case. He bought candles and wine, just in case. And after fretting about his lack of experience, he went to a muggle store he'd seen a pair of times in his travels and bought a _film_, just in case.

It felt wrong to be watching such a film on the day of his marriage and possible consummation. But Harry justified it by saying it was to rid him of ignorance. At the store, he had even asked the clerk for a film that would show him how to make it a good experience for the girl. And while Harry was _very_ aroused while watching the film, he didn't even rub one out and relieve himself. Instead, he took parchment and quill, and took meticulous notes, rewinding certain parts to make sure he was seeing things right. Miraculously, he thought of Ginny all the while, and wondered if he could do this with her tonight.

After another stretch of cleaning to cool down, Harry showered and readied himself for the evening.

It was time he talked to Ginny.

-0-0-0-

Harry loved the Weasleys. He was an honorary Weasley, after all. Arthur treated him like a son. Ron was a brother to him. He had even been added to the family clock despite spending most of the past year in "Mortal Peril," and aging Molly an extra few years in the process. The family was loving, and tight-knit, and everything he imagined a family should be.

And he wished they would all just go away.

Getting Ginny alone for a minute at a family function was the equivalent of grabbing a soaring snitch without a broom. He'd tried to distract Ron by convincing the Twins to light his pants on fire, only to be pulled aside by Arthur to be asked about where he could purchase a Chia pet. He made an escape by telling him, "Hermione got to use the internet this summer," and vowed to apologize to her later for it when Arthur went scurrying off to find her.

Unfortunately, the brief interaction caught Bill's attention, and the older Weasley blocked the doorway. "I saw you chatting with Ranok the Goblin at the Ministry yesterday," he said while nursing a Butterbeer. Harry peered over Bill's shoulder to see Ginny in the kitchen with her mother. "He didn't give you any problems, right?"

Harry bit back a scoff. He'd certainly been a messenger of a pretty big problem. "No," Harry answered instead. "Ranok has been nothing but helpful these last couple of years. Has made my vault situation easy to understand and I feel like my parent's fortune has been well taken care of."

Bill looked satisfied, but didn't move. "Yes, he's one of the better Goblins at Gringotts. Made me feel as welcome as—"

Harry tuned Bill out. Not intentionally. Or because he wasn't interested. Well, he wasn't. But that's only because he had _much_ more pressing concerns right now. Normally, he'd love to chat with Bill. He didn't know him nearly as well as he'd like. And he knew that Bill had always been Ginny's favorite.

A smile came to his face, and his focus returned to Bill.

"Bill," Harry interrupted him in the middle of a story about Bill accidentally walking into the Goblin restroom and needing to have his memory wiped. "Sorry to interrupt, but could you tell me about Ginny?"

Bill's eyes narrowed, and Harry wanted to kick himself for his lack of tact or subtlety. "Why?" the eldest Weasley asked in a low voice.

Harry felt sweat form on his forehead. "Erm…bought her a birthday present and wanted to know if she'd like it? And you're her favorite brother, so I figured you'd know."

It must have been a believable enough request. Or the flattery distracted him. Either way, while he still looked at him appraisingly, Bill's suspicious tone disappeared. "What did you get her?"

Harry didn't mention the wedding ring, or that he'd thought about getting a certain toy that might help him in the bedroom later. Probably not a great idea.

"Tickets to the Harpy's next week," he answered instead. He'd actually bought them a few days ago when Molly had first told him they'd be having a party today.

Bill smiled. "Good one, Harry. Quidditch is a safe bet for any Ginny gift. And the Harpy's are her dream of course."

Harry nodded. He knew all of this. "Safe, huh? So if I wanted to branch out at Christmas?"

Bill's eyes narrowed again. "Got a thing for my sister, Potter?"

Harry shrugged. "Yeah."

Bill was taken aback. Harry supposed the man expected to be an intimidating older brother. And maybe he was, under different circumstances. But having a deadline to determine the duration of a Magical Union tended to put a new perspective on things.

Also, Harry killed fucking Voldemort a week ago. He wasn't going to be scared by an older brother, no matter how cool the guy was.

"Oh…okay, then," Bill finally responded. Harry wasn't sure if that meant he had Bill's approval or if he'd just taken him by surprise. He continued anyways. "Ginny puts up this strong front—and she _is_ strong, don't get me wrong. But the tough exterior is actually just a way to keep all of us in check. The _second_ someone needs her help, Ginny is there. She's not too tough or smart or proud for anyone. The best gift is to be that person to her, too."

Harry felt himself smiling, and glanced behind Bill again to where Ginny was helping her mum organize a platter of food. It was clear Molly was stressed as all the guests arrived, and despite it being _her_ birthday and _her_ party, Ginny was more concerned about her mum.

"How bad you got it for her, Potter?" Bill asked, a smirk on his lips.

"Getting worse every minute, Bill," Harry replied with a chuckle. "Excuse me."

Bill let Harry by and into the kitchen, where he caught the two Weasley women's attention at last. Ginny looked right back down to the platter of crackers and cheese she was laying out, while Molly positively beamed at Harry.

"Oh, Harry dear, I'm so glad you could make it. Will you help Ginny with the cheese and crackers?"

"Gladly," Harry responded, trying to get Ginny's attention. She wouldn't look up.

Molly moved to the other end of the kitchen to start frosting the cake, leaving Harry and Ginny in relative privacy. "I figured she'd try to pair us off again," Harry said with a smile.

Ginny lifted her head at last, but there was no amusement in her eyes. But Harry noted she wasn't angry either. Ginny was simply distracted. She had something on her mind. Harry knew the feeling, but had at least drawn one conclusion in his mess of a mind. Be honest.

"I want to apologize," he said under his breath. "The truth is that I really, really, _really_ liked our day together. Hell, I'll say it, I really, really, really like _you_. And that should make things easy, right? But it doesn't. It makes it harder. Because if we'd had an awful day together, then saying 'no' would be simple, you know? But instead, I can legitimately envision a…future with you. And that scares me. It scares me to think I have this potentially great thing to commit to that I can't even begin to fathom. And it's not just committing to marriage. It's a Magical Union, and the commitment starts with…well, it starts with sex. Like, tonight, Ginny, and I have no idea what I'm doing. And what if none of this works out, right? What if a month from now, the way I eat starts to get on your nerves? Like, I chew loudly or something? Or maybe I leave toe nail clippings on the bathroom floor and it grosses you out? You realize I'm a slob and you hate the idea of being married to me, and we split, and now I've basically forced myself on you to save this potential Union that neither of us can possibly know the success of, even if I hope so badly it will work."

Harry took a deep, long breath. Ginny merely stared at him, wide-eyed. He blushed and glanced at Molly to make sure she hadn't caught what he'd been saying. She appeared focused on her cake still. "So, I'm sorry I didn't want to talk about it earlier. I don't even know what I'm thinking and feeling, so I didn't have any idea how to express it. I still don't."

Ginny pulled him into a fierce hug and he instinctively wrapped his arms around her. It felt nice. Better than nice. It felt _right_.

"I'm sorry, too," Ginny said. "I guess it was unfair to expect you to talk when you have so much you're unsure about."

He rubbed his hands up and down her back. "Unfair or not, it's the reality of the situation, and we needed to talk. We still do."

Ginny pulled back. "First of all, Harry, please don't worry about 'forcing yourself on me' as you put it. If we decide to do this, it will be a mutual decision. If we do it, and it ends up being a mistake, it's one that I would be able to own. I can't speak for you, of course, but I promise you wouldn't have to worry about me."

And an unknown weight lifted. This hypothetical scenario that had been bothering him was no longer a bother.

"Secondly," she continued with a smile. "Are you a slob?"

Harry shrugged, fighting a smile of his own. "I don't think so. But I don't think people are the best at seeing their own faults."

"No, that's what spouses are for, right?"

They grinned at each other, and Harry's heart thudded painfully in his chest. He _really_ liked this girl.

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "And I had a really nice day, too, Harry."

She blushed, and it was adorable. Harry's stomach fluttered and he wished so badly he had months to court this girl instead of hours. But it was undeniable at this point that he wanted to court her.

And then Molly was in their bubble, berating them for not finishing their platter yet, asking Harry to set up tables outside, and telling Ginny to go get dressed for the party. Harry thought she looked great in the shorts and shirt she'd been in all day, but shrugged when Ginny sent him an apologetic look and hurried to the stairs.

A minute later, Ron found him and asked to help set up a few tables and chairs outside.

"So," Harry began as he settled the table in place and gave it an experimental shuffle, as if afraid it might scurry away if he didn't get it _just right_. "Your little sister is of age now."

Ron's head shot up, and his eyes narrowed at Harry. "Could you have phrased that any more creepily?"

Harry cursed himself again. Where was his subtlety the last couple of days? Must have left it at the figurative alter.

He chuckled in what he hoped was a lighthearted manner. "I just mean…must be pretty strange for you. She's probably still that little, annoying sister of six that wouldn't leave you alone, eh?"

Ron stayed frowning, but seemed mollified. "I guess," he replied. "But in truth, she might have talked a lot as a kid, but she was never annoying. I actually sort of missed her when you showed up and she forgot how to talk." He grinned. Harry didn't feel like grinning.

"Why didn't we ever hang out with her?"

Ron's smile faded too. He shrugged. "We had just shared this incredible first year, and even though Mum knew I was involved, she didn't know how dangerous it was, did she? So I couldn't really share it with my family. That sort of meant you and Hermione were all who I wanted to be around. Y'know?"

Harry did know. And now he regretted it. Thinking of the years he could have spent getting to know Ginny better. Spend time with her. Who knows? Maybe he would have fallen in love over these past few years, and tonight wouldn't even be a big deal.

"No," Ron said again when it became apparent Harry wasn't going to respond. Ron studied him while he spoke. "Ginny was never the annoying sister I made her out to be, and we got close again this past year when you were off with Dumbledore all the time. The only thing that feels weird about her coming of age is that now she can actually use the magic she so often threatens me with when I annoy her."

Instead of shuddering with fear, Ron actually _smiled_ at the thought of Ginny hexing him.

"Not scared, I see?" Harry asked with a smile.

"Terrified," Ron corrected, grinning back at him. Then his eyes flitted over Harry's shoulder. "But we all know Ginny's bark can be worse than her bite. And her love is much bigger than her temper."

Harry turned around to see where Ron was looking, and time stopped. Harry was sure of it. Trees ceased their rustle in the wind. Charlie froze mid-step while balancing cups and plates in his arms. And Harry's heart stopped beating.

Because Ginny stepped out of the house, and she was a vision. Her hair was down, the red shades framing her face and falling over her shoulders carelessly. Her pale blue sundress left those shoulders mostly bare, but for thin straps that merely drew Harry's eyes to her exposed collarbone. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the evening sunlight. The dress wasn't particularly low cut, but it didn't stop Harry from tracing her skin down to the blue fabric where the swell of her breasts was visible. His eyes tracked down further, where the dress fanned out and her shapely legs carried her out of the house and into the yard.

Time resumed, and she walked across the grass, barefoot and carefree and beautiful.

"Might want to close that mouth of yours, mate," Harry heard Ron say from his side. "Might make a bloke wonder about the things you're thinking about his sister."

Harry swiveled to look at Ron, snapping his mouth shut in the process. His best mate of seven years looked on the edge of laughter and anger.

"Listen, Ron," Harry started, but it was much harder to admit this sort of thing to Ron than to Molly or Bill. Why was that?

"Harry," Ron shook his head, the amusement winning out over any anger on his face. "I missed you this past year, what with you being gone with Dumbledore so much of the school year. But even when you came back, you weren't quite yourself."

Harry frowned. He'd really tried to separate his Voldemort-hunting self from the person that his friends saw. It was his frequent returns to Hogwarts that had kept him sane the past year. But it saddened him to learn he wasn't a good friend. Or at least, the friend they knew.

Ron continued, a smile on his lips. "When you came back, you were present, but absent at the same time. You had a lot to worry about, so I understood. Hermione and I tried our best to be supportive, to be your friends who you could just have some fun with. But you know the one time I saw Harry Potter, my best mate?"

Harry shook his head.

"When you were around her," he chuckled, nodding his head at Ginny.

Harry looked back across the yard at her. She was laughing at something Bill was telling her. Her smile made Harry's stomach flip, and he thought back on the last year. The laughs that had come from _her_. The freedom that _she_ had made him feel even when he'd been a slave to a prophecy and a duty.

"How did I never see it?" Harry asked softly.

Ron shrugged to his side. "You were distracted. Hell, I went through the same thing with Hermione. It wasn't until you left and took all your drama with you that she and I realized what we had together."

Harry laughed and finally turned back to his oldest friend. "So you're blaming me for your thick head?"

Ron nodded. "I think you mooning over my sister now that your own drama is gone is all the proof we need."

Harry shook his head. "I'm afraid the drama is just starting, Ron. But thank you anyway for bringing my own thick head to my attention."

Harry bid farewell to Ron in a misguided attempt to find and isolate Ginny. He needed to talk to her again. He felt ready to explode with all of the confusing feelings inside of him, and just needed to get it all out there. He wanted to hold her hand, and touch the bare skin of her arms, run his thumb over her cheeks. He wanted to kiss her!

However, getting Ginny alone again proved impossible. And he tried. But with a dozen family members and a couple dozen more friends all here for _her_, Harry couldn't exactly take her away from them. At least not yet.

Tonight…

Well tonight was another matter. And it just added to the swirling mess in his stomach and heart and head. The mere idea that tonight could find their limbs tangled together with bed sheets made Harry's breath catch in his chest. All he could do was look across the party at her, seemingly careless as she chatted with Luna and Neville over plates of cake.

She caught him staring more than once, and they'd share a look. Like the look now. Neville was oblivious to her inattention. He probably blabbered on about some herb or rare plant, but Harry saw in her eyes where her mind was. On him. On her husband.

And dare he believe it, when she blinked and bit her bottom lip. She might just be thinking of his husbandly duties. A fire lit in his gut.

"If this party goes much longer," Harry jumped at the sudden interruption to his left. "I'm afraid the other guests are going to become voyeurs when you and Ginny can't resist each other any longer."

"Sweet Fucking Merlin, Hermione," Harry said, clutching at his thumping heart. "You're lucky I didn't reach for my wand and hex you. Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Harry," Hermione placated, like talking to a four-year-old. She squeezed his arm. "A slight breeze would have startled you. I've never seen you so lost in another world. And that's saying something."

"Well, I've got a lot on my mind," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. After another quick glance at Ginny, he finally turned and appraised Hermione completely.

She looked nice, dressed neatly for a summer night, bushy hair as wild as ever. But the look in her eyes prevented Harry from inspecting her much more. She looked positively calculating.

"I think you've got exactly one thing on your mind," she responded with a smirk. "Or one person, rather."

He groaned and turned back to Ginny, who had given her attention back to Neville. He made large gesticulations with his arms and hands that could have represented an ejaculating hippogriff for all Harry knew.

"At this rate, the entirety of Britain will know that I fancy her by night's end."

Hermione looked taken aback. "Wow, Harry…I did not expect you to be so forthright about it. When did this happen?"

Harry shrugged. "A lot has happened in the last day, Hermione. But I'm starting to wonder if I haven't fancied her for a lot longer than I realize."

She frowned, studying Harry even deeper. Knowing his good friend, Harry wouldn't be shocked if she were to deduce the complete happenings of the past day just from his facial expressions and vague explanations. But she didn't.

"I always thought you two had a deeper connection than you let on—I even asked Ron last year if he thought you two might be in a sort of secret relationship. But you're telling me you didn't even realize it until yesterday?"

Harry sighed. "I was pretty busy last year, I guess."

Hermione nodded. "If anyone has an excuse, it's you, Harry."

They fell into companionable silence for a moment, but Harry decided to continue taking advantage of this time he couldn't be talking _to _Ginny by talking _about_ Ginny. "So, what do you think?" he asked. "Have I got a shot? Have I hit the jackpot here?"

Hermione laughed. "Have you ever," she scoffed. "Near top of her class in marks. Quidditch Captain. Not a prefect, and won't be Head Girl, which I suspect is a check in the 'pro' column for a rule-breaker like yourself. Knockout beauty, powerful witch, fiercely loyal. And the best thing of all…she likes _you_ for some reason."

Hermione smiled at him good-naturedly. Harry shook his head. "Careful, Hermione. Ron's rubbed off on you. Sarcasm? Soon you'll be saying 'Bloody hell' through a mouthful of sweets."

She continued smiling, but did adopt a much more matter-of-fact tone when she spoke again. "Harry, in all seriousness, she's amazing. She's been my best girl friend for years, and I can't have asked for better. She's kind, and caring, and loyal, and everything a guy could hope for."

He turned back to Ginny across the party and resumed his borderline creepy observation of her.

"I'm starting to think that, too, Hermione."

The rest of the evening seemed to go splendidly for the guests of the party. Not for Harry, necessarily. He alternated between checking his watch and checking out Ginny, with the periodic interruption of a guest talking to him. He managed to steer most of the conversations toward the birthday girl, with subtlety at varying levels of success.

Fred and George teased him about his interest, but didn't dwell on a potential crush he may or may not have. Instead they told him about her devious side. The only sibling they feared, and the one they respected the most.

Remus stopped to talk with him, and Harry jumped at the opportunity to ask about a Magical Union.

"Why do you ask?" Remus said, gaze askance. "Did you know I've been thinking about asking Tonks?"

Harry felt his mouth drop. "Remus, that's great! Congratulations!"

"Well, it's not official yet." Remus held his hands out in front of him in a gesture for Harry to _keep it down_. "It's just, with Teddy being born a few months ago, and seeing her with him...I just know I want her forever, you know?"

Harry's heart thudded wonderfully against his chest. "I brought it up because I saw the word "Unified" on my parents gravestones, and wondered..."

Remus gave a soft smile. "Yes, they actually entered into a Magical Union with their marriage. It was more common back then than it is now, particularly with the war going on. People just didn't know how long they'd have, you see. But still, it was rare."

Harry bit back a scoff, wondering if he should ask Remus if his and Ginny's situation was rarer. Instead, he nodded. "I'm glad they had that," he admitted.

"If anyone was ready for the Union, it was them."

"What do you mean?" Harry wondered. "Just that they knew they wanted forever with each other?"

"Well, yes," Remus said. "But the magic of the Union isn't just about after death. It intensifies everything. Attraction, frustration, love, hate. And your parents had figured out the frustration and hate part during their years at Hogwarts. When it came time for the Union, most of what was left was just the love. And it showed."

"So, it doesn't manufacture the love?"

"Oh no." Remus shook his head. "The reason marriage and the Union are often separated is because arranged marriages were common until just a few decades ago. And nothing would ruin a marriage faster than the heightened experience of the Union."

A week ago, Harry had been on a battlefield. There were dozens of people, creatures, and spells flying around him. Death and pain and terror swirled about the battle like a tempest, and it was all so overwhelming. Harry hadn't been able to think.

And then Voldemort appeared, and everything became clear and focused.

After Remus's words, Harry felt that same sense of disorder as he had on the battlefield. Brief thoughts of a doomed marriage and of unfair feelings and magic flitted about his mind. But he couldn't grasp onto a single thought. Couldn't make sense of his feelings and hopes and thoughts. There was an incessant buzz, and Harry just couldn't escape it.

And then Ginny appeared, and everything became clear and focused.

She stood, speaking with Luna across the way, eyes alight with life and love.

She was so beautiful. And that was a pre-existing thought before the Union amplified it.

He loved the day spent with her. And that feeling wasn't created by magic. It was authentically his.

She was funny. She was kind. She understood him. He wanted to be around her. Had he been paired with someone else, he might find that person excessively dull, mean, antagonistic, and he'd want to be as far away as possible.

The Union hadn't made him want Ginny. That was all himself.

"Thank you, Remus," Harry said, voice shaking. He managed to pull his eyes off of Ginny for the briefest of moments.

"You're welcome, Harry," Remus said with a smile before moving on his way. The man likely thought he'd just shared some lovely information about James and Lily—and he _had_, certainly. But what he'd unwittingly done is make Harry certain. Secure.

He found Ginny again, and this time could not look away from her. Because now he knew what tonight would mean, if he could convince her. Her eyes met his after a moment, and a fire erupted in Harry's chest.

Luna turned to follow Ginny's gaze, and quirked her head. She walked away from Ginny without a word, and came straight to him. Harry tried to busy himself, finding a drink and pretending to be observing everyone at the party, not just Ginny. Despite this, he knew he'd want to talk with Luna about Ginny anyways, figuring the childhood friend might have something of interest to say.

As it turned out, Harry didn't need to bring up the topic. The first thing Luna did when seeing Harry was say, "You and Ginny have a particularly strong sexual aura tonight."

Harry spit out the punch he was drinking, and coughed for a good ten seconds before he could ask in a whisper, "What!"

She didn't appear phased by his reaction. "Oh yes. When the female Snorkack is in heat and finds the male it wants to mate with, they give off a distinct magical aura."

Face flushed, Harry tried to keep her attention diverted. "You've finally found the Snorkack, have you?"

"No," Luna said, dreamy expression. "But now that I've felt the energy between you and Ginny, I'll know what to look for. I'm leaving for Sweden first thing tomorrow."

"Great Godric Gryffindor," Harry managed, looking up to the sky. He needed all of this embarrassment and torture to end. "Help me finish this night."

"Oh, I assume it will be Ginny who helps you finish," Luna commented, not a hint of irony to her voice.

She turned and left Harry to sputter and blush on his own. Blessedly, this was when the party started to wrap up. Soft _pops_ signaled the disapparation of several guests, as the Weasleys and Harry began to clean up.

Albus Dumbledore, who had made a late appearance to the happy gathering, made his way over to Harry while he stacked discarded plates and brushed crumbs from the tables.

"Harry," the aged professor said. "Might I enquire as to your and Miss Weasley's decision regarding your Union?"

Harry sighed. It was honestly a little relieving to have _someone_ to talk to. Harry wondered if Ginny had told anyone. He figured she hadn't. Molly would either be having a conniption or throwing a second party. Perhaps both. Arthur would have set him down for a talk. Any of her brothers would have told the other brothers, and they'd be having a sit-down with Harry to threaten him and ask his intentions—as if any of this had been intended. Hermione would have cornered him and tried to figure out how the Union contract got signed, as if that was more important than the decision they had to make.

No. She hadn't told anyone. And this made him sad for her, that she was dealing with this mostly on her own.

"We haven't made a decision one way or the other, sir," Harry explained, choosing not to reveal his own thoughts on the matter until he had discussed them with Ginny. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, and Harry knew he was wondering if he needed to state the obvious.

They had less than two hours to make a decision.

"We had a great day," Harry continued. "Like…really great. So much so that I'm terrified I'm going to fall in love with this girl. And if a Magical Union isn't possible with her a few months or years from now when we had the chance to preserve it…"

Dumbledore nodded. "I see you've made an effort to weigh your options. I'm proud of both of you."

And with that, the man turned to leave. The gall!

"What?" Harry pestered. "That's it? No advice? No wisdom for me?"

Dumbledore turned, a twinkle in his eye, expression caught somewhere between amusement and sadness. "My dear boy," he said with a shake of his head. "After all you've been through, to have this situation forced upon you, you've had enough of your life dictated to you. I'm not going to do anything to sway your choices. They're yours."

Dumbledore hesitated, and in the beat of silence Harry felt immense gratitude for the notion. Then he spoke again. "Once you've made your decision, I'll share my thoughts. Assuming you made the right one, of course," he added with a wink.

And then he was gone, too, and Harry was left with only the Weasleys. A small enough number of people that Ginny could at least approach him and give him a brief message.

"I'll meet you at Grimmauld Place in half an hour."

He couldn't read her expression. Her voice was tight. She couldn't seem to make up her mind whether she should maintain eye contact with him or study whatever lint or dandruff he apparently had on his shoulder. But, _Merlin, _was she beautiful. That's something Harry could see plain as day.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Good idea."

And then she was gone, too. Inside the house. Perhaps plotting her escape.

An escape to his home. Where they'd be alone at last. To…well, to do anything.

The next thirty minutes passed in a hazy blur of anxiety. He vaguely registered his actions in helping clean up the party. He may or may not have said goodbye to Ron. Maybe he got a hug from Molly. When he got home, he paced in his sitting room. Kreacher came in at one point and asked him something. Harry didn't really hear him, and sent him away. He'd probably have to apologize later for his dismissive behavior.

_Crack_.

And there she was, standing in front of him. She tucked her wand away and then her fingers played at the hem of her dress. He was glad she hadn't changed out of it.

"Hey," he said, breathless.

"Hi," was her simple reply.

"You look really pretty tonight, Gin," he said, because his mind couldn't really form thoughts beyond simple truths.

"I felt you watching me," she said with a nervous smile.

"Couldn't stop thinking about you. About tonight."

"And what thoughts were those?" she asked. In a different tone, it might have been sexy, inviting. But she was nervous. Genuinely curious what he was thinking. It broke his heart. How could she not know?

"That if you'll have me, I want to be your husband, Ginny. And that means we've got less than an hour to have sex."

* * *

**A/N: Dun dun duuuuuuuuuun! Surely you can guess what the next chapter will entail. A little talking. And a little not-talking. **

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading, and do leave a thought or two if you feel so inclined!**


	6. The Consummation

The Consummation

-0-0-0-

"So you want it?" Ginny asked. Harry couldn't tell if she was anxious or hopeful. Maybe both. That's how he felt.

Harry took a deep breath. "I...I feel like I really, _really_ like you, and like we owe it to ourselves to give us a chance."

Her lips twitched with a smile. He might have even seen a nod of agreement. But she was still so reserved. "Even if it means we have to consummate the Union?"

A chuckle escaped his lips before he could bite it back. Ginny's eyebrows knit in confusion. He supposed that was an odd response to her question.

He stepped closer to her and grabbed her hands in his. He didn't know how to verbalize any of his thoughts. But he'd told himself that he would tell her everything he was feeling, even if he wasn't sure about what he was feeling, himself. "I'll be honest with you Ginny, I can't stop thinking about it. You're so beautiful and wonderful, that just the idea of…being intimate with you is…"

He trailed off a bit before looking up to her. Her eyes were wide with his partial admission, mouth open and blush forming. He finished his thought. "It's exciting and terrifying, because I've never done anything _close_ before. But, then I just watch you for a minute flying on that broom, laughing with your family, standing under the moonlight in that dress, and I…you're all I can think about. And I want you." He paused for a second. Her blush had intensified. Though, maybe it wasn't a blush. Her eyes looked different. _Hungry_. "But the last thing I could ever want is to pressure you; to take something you aren't ready to give. And besides all of that, it just feels so quick. I wish we had months to work our way to it. But we don't have time. So I'm just a mess inside."

"Yeah," she breathed out. "I know the feeling." She bit her bottom lip, which was an image that only added to the compilation of Ginny images that now turned him on. "But…you're willing to give up choosing your future for the chance this works?"

Harry wanted to answer her question, but felt at a disadvantage having shown most of his cards without being told any of hers. His thumbs traced idle circles on the backs of her hands. "I would be choosing my future," he replied evenly. "The timeframe I have for choosing is a bit shorter than I'd have liked, but it's still my choice. What about you, Gin? Are you willing to give up your future for this chance?"

Ginny sighed in frustration and pulled away from him. Harry felt his heart drop as his hands dropped to his side. Maybe she wasn't feeling the same way as him. "How could I live with myself, Harry?" she asked.

"I'm going to assume there's more to this," Harry replied, the hurt welling up in him. "I didn't realize I was that bad."

Ginny turned back, horrified. "That's not what I meant at all! Of _course_ I want this, Harry. I've wanted you for my whole life!"

For all the sharing they'd done today, this was news to Harry. "Your whole life?" he repeated.

Ginny let out a moan of embarrassment. "Yes, okay? The little girl's crush never went away. It got stronger as her hero grew up, grew somehow more selfless. Somehow more kind, and good, and powerful, and gorgeous."

Harry ignored the compliments to try to get to the crux of the situation. "I thought you had stopped liking me."

"I stopped liking the image I had of you," Ginny clarified. "It was only then I could really get to know you. And started liking the real you."

Harry stepped forward to hold her arms, hoping she wouldn't run away again. "So what's the problem?"

"You've liked me for one day, Harry. You're not doing this because you want to. You're doing this because of the Union. Or you're doing it because you're _you_. You would do anything for someone you care about, even giving away your future."

"But that's not-" Harry started before she cut him off.

"And no matter what you say, even if it's true, I will always, for the rest of my life, wonder if I forced you into this. If it's just the magic of the Union, like a love potion or something. Or if you're actually happy. Or if you could've been happier without me. I can't do it."

It struck Harry then that this was what she hadn't wanted to talk about this morning. Why she was so distraught over the way he had only started to notice her this morning. Why she had called it fake and couldn't trust the way he looked at her. Harry understood finally why she was so torn. He couldn't blame her, either. As tough a spot as he was in, he couldn't fault himself for saying yes or no to the Union. But Ginny wrote the contract initially, no matter how much of a bluff or pre-teen pipe dream it had been. She would find fault with herself no matter what was done because of how much she cared about _his_ happiness. If she denied him now, a Magical Union would be lost to him forever. If she went along with it, she'd be denying him his choice of a future.

And with the revelation of how much she cared for him, he felt an overwhelming sense of love for her. He leaned in and kissed her, probably taking her by surprise. Still, she responded, and her lips were soft moving against his. He could still taste some of her birthday cake on her lips. He'd have liked to taste her for a moment longer, but he pulled back.

"First of all," he said softly. "Just because today was our first date, does _not_ mean I've only liked you for a day. I might be a little slow on the uptake, Ginny, but I'm pretty sure I've been falling for you for a long time now. The Union hasn't fabricated these feelings I have for you."

She looked confused, like she wanted to argue, but Harry pressed on. "And secondly, you're proving to me every second we're together that there won't be a happier life for me than with you." He held her face in his hands and willed her to believe him. "You're kind and selfless, brave and powerful, and bloody beautiful."

Her eyes dropped. "It's just the honeymoon phase," she replied. "You can walk right now, and live your life. If we end up back together, then we'll go from there."

"But the Magical Union won't be in effect," Harry responded with concern.

Harry saw Ginny's eyes get misty. "We'll have to let it expire. It's the only way I can live with myself. Besides, who knows if it even means anything—it might just be an old tradition."

"I don't believe that," Harry said assuredly. Ginny's eyes shot back to him, shocked.

"But you only just learned about it."

"I know that. I visited my parents today," he told her, and her eyebrows knit together in concern. "They performed their Union with their marriage. Kind of like us," he said with a smile.

"Kind of," she managed to chuckle. "With a slight difference, I'm sure."

He smiled back, happy with the softer, more tender turn the conversation had taken. "And it makes me happy, thinking about the pair of them in the next life. Still bound together. I can't lose this, Gin! I can't lose you."

And when the words left his mouth, he was shocked at how real his fear was.

Ginny studied him for a long time. And again, he willed her to believe him.

"I'm scared," she finally said.

"I'm terrified," Harry added. "I've never been so vulnerable Gin. I've never let myself be open like this, and I don't know what will happen if you don't believe me."

Something shifted behind her eyes. "You're many things, Harry. Brave to the point of stupidity, noble to a fault, and perhaps so focused that you're oblivious."

"I hope you have a point here," Harry said wryly, and Ginny grinned her beautiful grin.

"You have a lot of faults, Harry. But most of them stem from such goodness that I can only admire you more for them. And one of those pure character traits, Harry, you've always been honest," she said simply. Her eyes bore into his. "You're telling me this is all real?"

His shoulders sagged with relief. She stared into his eyes with such intensity, Harry was tempted to tense back up again. But he knew his answer was the truth, and he knew she'd believe him. "Yes, Ginny. It's real."

In the silence that followed, Harry gave her another short kiss. Ginny followed it up by chasing his lips to prolong the kiss. When they pulled apart, Harry knew the decision had been made.

"I've never been intimate with someone before," Ginny said, taking a step back. And in a weird way, the shift of fear from the Union to the consummation comforted Harry. It also brought a new wave of fear.

"Really? Me either," he said, and Ginny registered surprise.

"In all your time out saving the world, no young witch ever gave herself to you?"

Harry frowned. "Do you really think I'd take advantage of someone like that?

Ginny shook her head. "No. I think I just assumed it had happened so that if it did, I wouldn't get in my head about it and ruin tonight."

Harry's heart quickened, knowing she'd been thinking a lot about tonight too. "And you never...with Dean or Michael?"

Ginny shook her head with some sadness on her face. "I wanted to be in love for my first time."

"I'm sorry, Ginny," Harry said, and a new wave of uncertainty blew through him.

Ginny stepped forward into his arms once more. "You may not need to be," she responded as she drew closer.

Harry captured her lips with his and immediately felt the magic of their bond surround them. The sensation was palpable, both having consented now. And despite the uncertainty of his first time, Harry felt no uncertainty about his decision.

Ginny's hands were in his hair, now, her fingernails gently rubbing his scalp. He ran his hands along her soft back until he felt the fabric thicken where her bra was. His hand instinctively moved away.

Ginny pulled back and smirked at him. "Harry, I don't think you need to worry about where your hands go tonight." He flushed. He laughed. They shared a brief smile of nervousness and excitement. And then he dove back in for another kiss.

Their tongues probed each other's mouths, and Harry followed Ginny's lead. He suspected she'd had a little more experience with this part, at least. His blood pumped furiously, and he felt goose bumps rise where her fingers ran along his arms. He pulled back to take a breath and took in her beautiful face again. The humor from a moment ago was gone, lips red and swollen, eyes aflame with desire. Harry led her over to the couch, where they sat and continued their exploration of each other.

After a few minutes of wandering hands and deepening kisses, Harry removed his lips from hers and was happy to hear a whimper of disappointment. But it was followed by a gasp of pleasure as he moved to her neck to kiss her. She lifted her head high to give him better access, which he used liberally. He trailed hot kisses along her neck and jaw, sucking briefly on her earlobe, searching for the places that made her catch her breath or give a sigh of bliss.

Her hands traveled along his back, down his side, and over his leg. Her thumb rolled along the inside of his thigh, and her closeness to him made him squirm and twitch. This seemed to prompt action from Ginny as she pulled away from his kisses and swung her leg around so she straddled him. Her dress rode up her thighs, and Harry grew harder at the sight of her bare legs around his waist. He ran his fingers up those legs, amazed at the smoothness of her skin. She went back to kissing his mouth and gently grinded against him, and Harry couldn't keep the groan from escaping his lips. Pleasure pulsed through his entire body.

He arched his back briefly to pull away. But again, he remembered there were no limits tonight. It needed to go all the way—and while terrifying, it was liberating. He found himself thrusting back into Ginny and she gave a long moan of approval.

Harry stood from the couch, with Ginny wrapped around his waist. Embroiled in passion, he somehow made his way to the stairwell. Every few steps he would stop his ascent to press her up against the wall where he grinded against her, his arousal becoming ever stronger. With each breath of excitement, she urged him to climb up the stairs and get to the bedroom.

At last, they arrived, and Ginny carefully climbed from his hips to stand in front of him at the foot of his bed. They paused for a long moment, and with his eyes, Harry asked one more time if she was ready. She nodded, and he drew his nervous fingers to her cheek and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. He brushed her cheek, dropped his hand down her neck and along her bare creamy skin. And then slid the strap of her sun dress over her shoulder.

It was silly—that strap had not been covering much at all. And yet the bare shoulder made him dizzy. He dropped his lips there and kissed, nipped. He wrapped an arm around the small of her back to pull her back to him. He knew his breaths were coming hot and fast, but he felt her pulse when his lips moved to her neck. It raced like his.

"_Harry_," she called out to the ceiling in a strained whisper. He pulled down the second strap and moved to kiss her other shoulder. But she pushed him back so that she could remove her dress completely. And he froze. He needed a camera. Why didn't he have some device to capture this moment? This perfect image?

His eyes roamed up and down her body liberally. Strong, athletic legs curving into her rounded hips. She was so fit, with a small waist and toned stomach. Her round breasts looking firm in her bra and Harry felt himself twitch again at the mere sight of the creamy and lightly freckled skin. And at last, her beautiful face, freckles highlighted by the blush forming on her cheeks. Ginny squirmed under his scrutiny, and he felt an odd wave of frustration and anger at himself for making her feel nervous or uncertain. But confusion, too. How could she not know?

"You are so, unbelievably beautiful," he said, voice a croak. "I need you to know that."

And it took a moment for the words to sink in, and another for her to internalize them. She smiled widely and shyly. Then reached behind her, and undid the clasp of her bra. With a gulp, he reached a shaking hand forward to pull the now-loose garment from her front. His heart stopped, but he didn't let himself stare and bring her to self-consciousness again.

He lowered her to the bed and climbed after her, grabbing her left breast gently and kissing the other. Like before, Harry anxiously set about to learn what made Ginny happy. With his fingers and hands he gently rubbed and squeezed, massaging as she relaxed and tensed under him. With his mouth, he practiced pleasuring her with his tongue and lips until her flesh was peaked and pebbled. Harry rolled his hips into her leg in an attempt to satisfy the need to _feel_ her.

She eventually had enough and grabbed him by the shirt. She pulled at it until they managed to remove it, and she flipped him around. She straddled him once more, and this time, he looked up at her naked body, with her hair splayed over her, revealing some places and tantalizingly covering others.

"You are so beautiful," Harry said again, and his voice was almost hoarse. He realized he was repeating himself, but the notion deserved repeating. Her beauty deserved statues and temples and worship, but that all seemed impossible in this moment, so he'd have to settle for telling her. "Ginny. You are perfect."

A blush accompanied her smile as she leaned down to kiss him. She continued to gently rub up against him as she kissed him, and the pressure in his pants was getting painful, but felt so good. His hands traveled up her legs and he squeezed her backside, which prompted her to nip at his lip. She lowered her head and kissed down his neck and onto his chest. Her tongue and lips gave the sweetest warm sensation on his body as she worked lower and lower. She was getting excruciatingly close to his waist line and he felt her hands at the button on his pants. She unzipped his pants slowly, sending pleasure through him at the indirect contact.

Then in one swift motion, she pulled his pants and boxers down, and he sprung free. She pulled back, and sounded like she…like she _giggled_. Now Harry was the one feeling embarrassed under the scrutiny.

Before he could frown at her or make a comment on how inconsiderate a fucking _laugh _was in this moment, she took him in her hand and Harry lost all thought. His head dropped back from her intense and curious gaze. He closed his eyes tight and his breath caught in his throat.

He was on fire, his entire body thrummed with the slow movement of her hand, and his held breath came out in a whimper.

"Oh Merlin, Ginny..." Harry managed. Just the mere touch of her nearly sent him to the edge. And they couldn't have that. So he flipped her back under him and kissed her hard so she would release him and forget what she was doing. He was successful. Her hands went to his chest, but he didn't linger long. He worked quickly down her body with his hot kisses. Pausing only briefly at each breast, Harry moved to her stomach. Damn was she fit.

He kissed just below her belly button, his fingers playing at the band of her knickers. He looked along her stomach, over her heaving breasts, and caught her eye. She looked nervous.

"What are you doing?" she trembled.

"You made fun of me for wanting to watch a movie with you. I ended up watching a certain type of muggle film," Harry admitted. "I wanted to have _some _idea of what to do here."

Her eyebrows shot up, and Harry realized it may not be the best thing to admit to his wife in this moment.

"What did you learn?" she asked after a beat.

"Can I show you?"

She nodded. "_Please._"

He ripped down underwear. She had trimmed a little in anticipation of the night, which somehow made Harry harder. She glistened with wetness from the night's activities so far, and Harry paused for a moment to admire her.

"Fuck," he whispered, fighting the urge to shift up and just get it on with already. Instead, he dove headfirst between her legs. He kissed up her inner thigh, wet and hot and frantic kisses. Ginny's leg twitched, like she was ticklish, and Harry made a note to find out just how ticklish. But later. Not now.

He made his way north. With each kiss, her legs fell apart more, and her breathing got heavier and louder until he was at her center. He smelled her arousal and he couldn't wait to give her more. He stuck his tongue out experimentally.

"Oh." Ginny muttered, and the sound was much worse than the moans he had been hearing just a moment ago. Harry lifted his head immediately to see what had gone wrong.

"Oh?" he parroted. "Not a good oh?"

She cringed when she realized her auditory response had changed the mood so immediately. "I don't know yet. It's…I don't know. Wet?"

Harry frowned and leaned back. "I think that's the point? I mean, you were wet before I licked you."

She nodded. "Right. It just…keep trying. I'm sorry."

Harry knew things wouldn't go perfectly tonight, but he'd hoped he wouldn't hear the words "keep trying." And he figured _he'd _be the one saying "I'm sorry."

His frustration must have shown on his face because Ginny reached down and gave his arm a squeeze. They shared a brief look of exasperation, and then, impossibly, they both laughed together. Just a short burst of giggles that was somehow nervous and relieving all at once. It was odd. He was naked, hovering over an equally naked Ginny, and they _laughed_. Laughing together at how bad things had turned so quickly. Yet somehow, everything was okay now. Truly, Harry didn't feel the need to worry about how things went. It was Ginny. They would figure it out together.

"Yeah," he said, now grinning. "I'll just keep trying here."

And she chuckled again, but then he was between her legs and the second pass of his tongue made her stop giggling. In fact, her hand went to his head and clenched a fistful of hair.

"Oh!" she said once again, only this time it came out in a gasp.

He wrapped smirking lips around her and kissed and sucked and licked some more. It didn't all work at first. Sometimes, he had her grasping at the bedsheets, and other times he felt her shifting underneath him, a subtle movement to get him to move to a different area, or try something else.

But Harry was nothing if not a persistent learner. And he doubted he'd ever been more interested in the source material. And it paid off. Her body was mesmerizing. The way she moved and hummed and said his name was fascinating to Harry, and this night was a grand experiment to see how hot her skin could feel, how wet she became, how loud he could make her moan.

Her hand had moved to run through his surely-messy hair, occasionally tugging at it to move him around, sometimes pressing him firmly against her while she rolled her hips up into his mouth.

Eventually, he pulled a quivering leg over his shoulder to give himself a different angle. He licked into her, and her hum of pleasure was almost enough to make him come against the mattress. But he resisted because he needed his full faculties to enjoy what was happening here and now.

He brought a finger up to replace his tongue inside her—_Merlin, was she tight—_so that he could move back to that sensitive nub that he'd discovered made Ginny squirm. He swirled around it, hooked his finger a little, and then _flicked._

And then she shook, positively_ shook_, underneath him and she cried out. Her thighs clamped around his head, and Harry moaned gratefully against her.

"Harry!" her voice was loud, but strained, and she rolled her hips against his mouth, all the while using her hand in his hair to apply the right amount of pressure. For his part, Harry gripped her waist and watched her face in awe the best he could from his vantage point.

After a few moments that Harry wished could have lasted forever, her movements stilled and she released his head. Harry lifted his head to find her looking perfectly relaxed but for the heaving breaths of a woman who'd just run a sprint. He climbed up her body to lay next to her, and ran his hand over her toned stomach. She turned her head, her expression somewhere between sleepy and awed.

"I think you figured it out," she hummed. Harry couldn't keep the smug grin from his face. "But there's no time to celebrate. I think we have less than 20 minutes until midnight."

Harry couldn't help but laugh. "That's not going to be a problem, Gin. Watching you was almost enough as it is."

She smiled and took a breath. Her hand moved down to grasp Harry's and she pulled it to the other side of her. "Get on with it then."

Harry obeyed, following her guidance and swung his body back on top of her. It was all so overwhelming. They were really doing this. He was really holding himself over her. This beautiful, incredible girl was really looking up at him like _that_.

He looked down to try to work out how to proceed, and an odd thought occurred to him. He looked back to Ginny's face. "So, do you think it's considered consummated when I first, erm, go in? Or is it a matter of when I finish? Because I think that's pretty messed up if it's all about when I've gotten off, you know?

Ginny's eyebrows lifted and she let out an incredulous laugh. "Really?" she asked.

"What?" he replied, self-conscious. Which was funny, because it had nothing to do with their nakedness.

"Don't get me wrong," she said, still chuckling."I think your concern is sweet and it bodes well for our sex life. Or at least mine. But Harry, are you seriously worried about this right now?"

And the absurdity of it caught up to Harry and he laughed at himself, burying his face in her neck. She wrapped her arms around him and they laughed together.

"I guess I'm not," he said after they'd collected themselves and he gave her a quick peck to her lips. "Though...should we be concerned about, er, contraception?"

She blushed. "I already cast the charm. Didn't trust that we'd think about it if things got...going."

And the mood shifted once more. Because things had certainly been going. And as freeing as their laughter had been, Harry knew they didn't have much time.

"Good. Erm...You'll tell me if I need to do something different?" he asked her. Her tightness around just his finger flashed though his mind. And while it was a hell of a turn-on, he couldn't help but fear what she might be in for.

"Slow," she said with a nod. Harry nodded back in agreement and positioned himself at her entrance. He could not believe this was real life.

Harry slowly leaned in, and was amazed even more at how tight she was. He wasn't sure how this would work. But her body adjusted to his as he gently pushed in. As much as he wanted to thrust, Harry saw the look of pain on his lover's face, and knew he could resist for her to enjoy the moment. Or at least not hate the moment.

Eventually, he had slid in most of the way and began pulling back out. Ginny let out a hiss of something. Pain, pleasure, or both, Harry wasn't sure.

"Okay, Gin?" Harry asked.

Eyes still screwed shut, she gave a curt nod. "Can you just wait for a second?"

So he didn't move, despite how much his body urged him to. She shifted, perhaps to ease her discomfort, and Harry felt her muscles clench around him.

"Holy shit," he groaned and gripped at the bedsheets like his life depended on it.

"What is it?" Ginny asked, tense. "Is something wrong?"

Harry panted and shook his head. "No. No. No. Just…I'm not looking for bonus points or anything, but you have no idea what you're doing to me right now." His voice came out hoarse. "I just want to f…I want you so bad right now, Gin." He edited his words. Maybe one day he could whisper in her ear the dirty things he was thinking. Instead, he lowered his face and peppered her with small kisses.

"Sorry," she responded, and Harry shook his head. That wasn't the response he wanted. So he silenced her with his lips.

Kissing was nice, familiar at this point. A perfect distraction to keep Harry from obsessing over her heat and wetness surrounding him. Occasionally her muscles contracted again, and it took everything he had not to whimper with pleasure and desire and thrust into her. So he rather liked feeling her lips between his. Kept his mind off of…other things.

Until, "Can you move now, Harry?"

He wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the question. But her requested movement took priority over laughter. He lifted his hips, not letting himself pull too far out of her. When he pushed back in, she rocked her body with him. A breath escaped him that he didn't know he'd been holding. He tried to keep the tempo slow and steady, his body's urges fighting him with each slow roll of their hips.

He watched her expression change over the next minute or so (time didn't really exist in this moment, so it was impossible to know exactly how long). It started screwed up and focused, eyes shut. And then, the tension seemed to leave her body. The worry lines disappeared from her face, and then her eyes opened, and Harry knew she was past the worst of it. She might even be enjoying it.

He felt control leave him at that thought. He began thrusting harder and faster, trusting that Ginny would tell him to stop. Instead, she happily groaned beneath him.

Harry felt himself getting close, far too quickly. But at least he had an excuse this time. He _had_ to finish quickly. Still, he tried to hold off for as long as he could. "Harry," Ginny said, and he was distressed to hear nothing in her voice that hinted at her being close. "Come for me, Harry."

And any distress left him because _holy shit _what other response is there but to obey? His body erratically moved, and the pressure built, and he did as she instructed. He couldn't much think while he released inside of her, but he was vaguely aware of her fingernails on his back. Of the way he slumped down on top of her and took massive breaths while he buried his head in her neck again. Of the way she whispered in his ear words that he'd never remember but always cherish.

After a moment, he was able to collect himself. He grew softer, and Harry pulled out and only then noticed the feeling of magic in the air around them. It felt complete.

Harry rolled off of Ginny and lay by her side. They turned their heads to face each other, all smiles and a hint of disbelief in her expression. Harry thought his probably matched. Neither broke the silence for some time.

Unsure what else to say, Harry figured he'd apologize first. "Sorry you didn't…at the end there, I should've—"

Ginny rolled her eyes with smile. "Harry don't you dare apologize for what just happened. It was amazing. Plus, you took care of me first."

"Still," he frowned. "maybe I could've tried something else."

She shook her head. "I doubt you could've gotten me close again after…well, it's not exactly pleasant at first." Harry's expression must have revealed his fear, because she was quick to bring a finger to his lips before he could apologize again. "It's normal, and you did everything right. Thank you, Harry."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Wish it wasn't that way."

She nodded. "It was great anyway. Besides, we'll have plenty of opportunities to get it perfectly right, won't we?"

And somehow, in all of this, it had never occurred to Harry that this would _keep_ happening. He'd been so focused on tonight that he couldn't much think of the future, even if it was worry of the future that led to tonight.

"Oh, Harry," Ginny grew nervous. She must have seen the surprise on his face. "I guess I shouldn't assume that we'd keep this aspect of the relationship going. This was probably just—"

And Harry shut her up with a kiss to her lips. Because she must be going mad if she thought he was hesitant about repeating what just happened. When he pulled back, he was smiling at her. He reached forward and threaded some loose hair through his fingers before tucking it behind her ear. She was _so_ pretty, it wasn't fair. "We're married," he said simply.

Brow furrowed, Ginny responded. "Well, yes. I thought we'd established that many times over today."

Harry's grin only broadened. "Yes, but...before it was this thing we weren't so sure about. Now…we're married, Gin!"

And he kissed her again for good measure, quite unsure how to articulate the elation rising in his chest. He thought about the ring sitting in his pants pocket somewhere on the floor. But no. Now wasn't the time. When he pulled back again, Ginny was smiling too.

"Harry Potter, I don't think I understand you just yet."

"Well, you've got a lifetime to figure me out now, Mrs. Potter." The name felt so right on his lips, they turned into a smile once more.

But her smile faltered. "Merlin, what do we tell my family?"

* * *

**A/N: Welp...that got a little more mature than I've gone in the past with Hinny. Hopefully it was okay. Hopefully it felt true to the characters as well as the tone of this fic. Let me know what you thought!**


	7. The Confrontation

**A/N: Thank you so much for the great response to this fic. It's been so fun writing it and then interacting with some of you about it!**

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Chapter 7: The Confrontation

-0-0-0-

Ginny rolled out of bed before Harry could respond. He didn't complain immediately, however, because she bent down to pick up her discarded knickers, and Harry got a _very_ good view of her backside that had him stiffening again already. "Holy shit, I'm married to this girl," he muttered to himself.

The sound must have caught Ginny's attention. After she slipped on her knickers, she turned around to scowl at him and his gaze. He didn't mind the good-natured scowl, because now her bare breasts were in view, and they demanded his attention. She bent down again to grab her bra, and Harry softly complained to her.

"Your family is going to be a problem twenty minutes from now, too," he said sitting up and inching toward her. "Come back here and just lie with me a minute."

Her features softened as she slipped her bra back on. "You just want a second round before my brothers kill you."

Harry chuckled. "That's not it at all," he said honestly. "We don't have to do anything. I just want to be with you. I'll even put my clothes back on."

He made to get up, but Ginny stepped forward and put her hand on his chest to stop him. "You don't have to do that," she said, and her eyes roamed over his body. His blood rushed southward with her eyes, which lingered on him before they fluttered back to his face.

Harry grabbed her hand and tugged her back into the bed. They lay facing each other, shuffling on the bed for a moment to get comfortable.

"Hey," Harry said softly. He cupped her face and brushed a thumb along her cheek.

Her smile nearly blinded him. He was sure it would be all he could see when he closed his eyes from here on out.

"Hey," she responded and ran her hand along his chest. Her touch was soft, but made his entire body feel heavy. Like he might sink through the mattress. Her gentle fingers skimmed over his skin, touching his nipple, and his nerves lit up.

His hardened length pressed against her leg now, and he swore she shifted her leg back and forth on purpose, lightly grazing the sensitive tip with her smooth skin. She drove him absolutely mad.

He dropped his hand from her face with a groan to touch the skin on her arm. Over her shoulder. Down her back. And then back to the front where he could trace her ribs with his thumb. He studied her with his eyes and fingers. He wanted to know every part of her. Every dip and contour, every blemish and freckle, every moan and scream.

He kissed her. She kissed back. Her lips were so soft. And tasty. He licked them. She nipped at his lips and tongue. He groaned. She sighed.

"'Don't have to do anything,' huh?" She asked when they separated for a moment. They pressed their foreheads together, and Harry kept his eyes shut, breathing heavily. He could feel her smile in her words. "You're so full of shit."

"I didn't even mean to," Harry said. "Apparently I can't resist you."

She didn't seem to mind. He was hyper-aware of her hand on his chest still. Especially now that it was starting to move. Her fingers danced over his side, and he could feel her nails skim up and down his back while she kissed him again. He shivered at the touch. Ginny pressed closer to him. Her hand came down and squeezed his backside. Harry moved his hand up and caught her covered breast.

"Can't resist you either." Her body seemed almost to be rocking. Her legs squirmed, rubbing together, and she puffed her chest out, prompting him to squeeze her breast.

Their heated gazes met, and in a moment their hands both moved.

Harry couldn't help but chuckle as their arms and hands fought for position. But the laughter died in his throat the moment her hand closed around him. Half a beat later, he was under the waistband of her knickers and between her folds.

And they were lost in each other. Rocking against hands and bodies, panting into the late, night air, whispering names and pleas of instruction.

"Faster," he told her. Her movements were not smooth, but it still felt so good.

"Deeper," she requested. He tried, he really did. But obviously something wasn't right.

She rolled on top of him, his hand caught between his leg and her core. She leveraged her position to generate the exact pressure she wanted. Harry didn't mind her control over the situation. He learned, soaked up every move she made so he could later replicate it on his own.

He didn't even mind when her grip on him faltered, and she became focused almost entirely on her building pleasure. Her groans grew louder, and she shook on top of him. "Harry," she called, dragging out the last syllable of his name. She rocked and pressed against him, and he curled his fingers inside of her.

And she crashed around his fingers, rolling her hips with the waves of her orgasm. He pulsed inside of her until she slowed. She rolled lazily to the opposite side of him, taking a few heavy breaths to come back to herself. Harry watched her, trying to catch his own breath at the sight of her. She brought her right hand down and touched herself, coating her fingers with her wetness. Harry whimpered at the sight.

"Was trying to use my wrong hand," she said before gripping him again, this time with her right hand, now wet with her. Her grip was much surer now, not to mention lubricated. Harry's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he gripped the sheet of the bed, which he only now realized had come untucked from the mattress.

"Tell me what to do, Harry," she said softly.

He was tempted to just tell her to keep doing what she was doing. Because it was certainly working. But he also heard her earnestness and desire to learn. Like he had been doing for her.

So he gripped her hand and squeezed like he liked it. He stroked up and down, a familiar pace to him, but now it was Ginny's hand. It felt so, so much better. Once she got the pace down, he released his hand, but not before nudging her thumb from her grip and directing it to the head of his erection.

"Just brush it like…yeah," he finished in wonder. "Fast learner," he managed to say before his communication devolved into moans and hurried breathing.

Stars exploded behind his eyelids a minute later. He had to grab her wrist to slow her movements.

"That was pretty cool," she said with some awe, and Harry's own awe grew while looking at her.

They chuckled together. Harry found his wand to clean themselves up, and then actually grabbed his briefs to clothe himself somewhat. It seemed they were easily distracted.

"Now," he said with a little embarrassment, climbing back into bed with her. "About your family…"

-0-0-0-

They apparated just outside the Burrow garden, holding hands. There was a near-full moon tonight, and so the home was well-lit despite the late hour. Their hands grew clammy as they looked up at the building they'd both called home for some time. Ginny obviously longer than Harry. Still, it had been a tough decision to move into Grimmauld Place instead of back to the Burrow after he killed Voldemort last week. He knew he'd spend most of the time at the Burrow anyway, he just knew he'd need a place to escape, away from everyone's eyes. Everyone's question, 'What's next, Harry?'

It certainly proved to be a good decision now. The idea of making love to Ginny in her bedroom, a thin ceiling or wall away from her family members, was terrifying. He would've been in his head even more than he already was.

Though he had to admit, it wasn't as bad as he feared. It wasn't bad at all, in fact. Perhaps a little awkward now and then, with a whole lot of uncertainty and inexperience.

But it had been wonderful. The best experience of his life, really. Well worth whatever would happen tomorrow morning when they had to explain things to the Weasleys.

He squeezed Ginny's hand, sweaty with nerves, and they marched through the garden, back to the Burrow.

Ginny opened the door, and Harry leaned in to kiss her 'goodnight' but they both froze, inches apart, lips puckered.

Molly Weasley stood on the other side of the doorway, arms crossed and eyes blazing.

"Harry," she said with a false calm. "Ginny."

She backed away from the doorway, and the young, married couple followed her dutifully into the sitting room. And sat. Molly flicked on the lights and sat opposite them.

"Well?" Molly asked, eyebrows raised and lips thin.

"Mum…" Ginny started.

"Worried sick!" Molly interrupted loudly, arms flailing. "Our ward alarms go off a couple of hours ago, and I just about had a heart attack!"

After a moment of silence, Harry figured it was his turn to talk. Perhaps apologize for this oversight. It was only a week ago that the war ended, after all. "Molly…"

"Rushed downstairs," she interjected, eyes wild. "And looked at my clock!" At this she pointed dramatically to the piece of hardware in the corner, where Ginny's and Harry's names pointed at 'Home.'

"What did it s—" Ginny started to ask.

"It's _said,"_ Molly said, drawing the word out. "That you were home!"

Harry and Ginny swallowed. He supposed Grimmauld Place was her home now. If it was his, it was hers. He smiled at the thought. "You see, Moll—"

"But I cast a reveal charm," she continued over Harry. "And there was no Ginny. Not in my house. Not in the Garden. Not on Burrow property!"

Another beat of silence. Molly looked at them expectantly. Ginny tried this time. "I wasn't—"

"And so I worried and fretted and sent a Patronus that was returned to me."

Harry hadn't removed the Fidelius Charm yet. No Patronus messages in or out while that was in effect. He cringed. "That's my faul—"

"And then, a few minutes ago, both of your hands go to 'In Transit' to the 'Garden' and back to 'Home.' Would you care to explain yourselves and my clock?"

Harry sighed, brought his hands out in front of him in a placating gesture. "Molly, we hav—"

"Because no matter how much I love the two of you, and the two of you together, I can _not_ have you running out like this and scaring the livin—"

"Mum, we're married!" Ginny shouted, finally turning the tables on her mum with the interruption. Harry swiveled to look at her, eyes wide. This was _not_ how they had planned on breaking the news. She looked back apologetically before they both heard the stunned stutters of Molly Weasley and turned back to her.

"M-Married?" Molly managed. Her hands twisted in her lap, and she shook her head, eyes darting between Harry and Ginny. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

This was all wrong. There was supposed to be proper buildup to ease the bombshell. Instead, Harry wondered if he should lie, and say they'd been secretly dating at Hogwarts for years, and now the war was over couldn't stop themselves from expressing their love in the loudest of ways.

But, that lie wouldn't last long under some scrutiny, and Harry wasn't even sure it accomplished much in the short-term, either.

"A marriage contract was somehow signed that married us today, now Ginny's of age. Ginny and I decided we should spend some time together, figure this thing out together."

Molly shook her head some more. But hadn't found her voice again.

Ginny spoke instead. "Rather than immediately annul the marriage," her eyes darted to him, clearly deciding to keep the Magical Union and consummation part a secret for now. Harry couldn't say he disagreed with her choice. "We wanted to see if it would work."

"You can always annul and then try things out," Molly argued. The flaw in their story seemed to shock her out her stupor. She looked almost happy to find such a simple solution to their problems. "There might be a few annoying legal hoops to jump through, but nothing we can't handle. And then the two of you can court like we've always wanted."

Harry quirked an amused eyebrow, but his heart sunk at how poorly their half-truth would work. That meant telling every single Weasley that…

"It was a Magical Union, Mum," Ginny's eyes were on the ground, now, and she tucked her free arm into herself. Harry squeezed her hand in his, though. He wasn't ashamed of what they'd just shared. Ginny looked up at him and smiled. A genuine, soft smile that melted his heart.

"Oh," Molly said, hesitant.

"Oh," she repeated. Her eyes grew sad, looking at Ginny like her daughter had just lost her offer to play for the Harpies. Like Ginny'd been told she could never walk again. And Harry supposed he understood. In Molly's eyes, Ginny had just lost her chance at a Magical Union, because _obviously_ they wouldn't have consummated, right?

But then, her eyes darted to their interlocked hands, then over to the clock of Weasley Whereabouts, and then to an actual clock, where the late hour seemed to reveal a deep secret.

Her eyes widened, a blush formed on her cheeks, and Molly Weasley covered her mouth with a hand.

"Oh!"

"Mum…"

"Don't 'Mum' me, Ginevra Weasley," Molly stood, fists clenched. "You two barely know…well, you barely knew each other."

"Molly," Harry started, clenching Ginny's hand tightly in his own. Molly paced.

"Don't you 'Molly' me, Harry Potter. I didn't take you for the type to take advantage—"

"Mum!" Ginny stood and shouted at her. "Don't you _dare_ imply that Harry did something wrong or foul here!"

Harry shrank in his seat. His heart thudded against his chest painfully and he couldn't bring himself to look at the woman who had been a mother to him for years.

And the argument silenced.

"Harry, Dear," Molly's voice. A far cry from the anger a moment earlier. He chanced a glance up at her. He saw utter regret and shame looking back at him. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that. I don't believe for _one second_ that you would intentionally do anything to hurt Ginny."

Harry understood her apology. He also caught that word. His heart sunk further. Had all of this been an unintentional mistake? Should he have listened to his doubts? He'd felt so confident in their decision just minutes ago. Now, he could see that a couple orgasms like he'd had tonight might influence his opinion on the matter.

Ginny groaned. "Mum, that was so close to an actual apology."

Molly bristled. "You two should have told us! We could have discussed this like adults. Instead, you proved you weren't ready to do any of this."

And something in Harry snapped. His whole life, his destiny had been laid out for him. Even after fulfilling it, that dreaded question lingered over every conversation he had. 'What is next for Harry Potter?'

And until this moment, Harry thought he hated the question because he didn't know what he wanted. But truthfully, Harry had a number of options, and he would be happy trying any one of them out. Auror, Teacher, traveler, ambassador, Quidditch. It wasn't his future he was concerned about, but rather everyone's concern with his future. It was _his_. And damn it, even though this forced marriage took some freedom, and included a second participant, it was _their_ future. Not Molly's.

"What do you think we did, Molly?" His voice was quiet. But he met her eyes. Something in his gaze must have struck her because she sat back down. "You think we found this contract and said, 'well, you're kind of hot, I think we should consummate this thing?'"

"Well, no, I imagine—"

"We have spent all day agonizing over this. Over what we might be doing to each other. What we're being forced to give up." He sought Ginny's eyes. "What we have to gain. Turns out, I had a _lot _to gain."

He found Ginny's hand and pulled her back to the couch. She curled against him, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Please forgive us to not including you," he said without any acerbity. "But we had enough on our minds without involving worried mothers and protective brothers. And frankly, Molly, I don't give a damn what you would've said. It was our decision to make." He caught Ginny's eye once more, then leaned forward to press his forehead against hers. "And I'm _really_ happy with the one we made."

Ginny smiled. And at the end of the day, that's all Harry cared about.

Still, it was nice to hear his best mate's voice from the stairwell. "Well I'm sold."

Harry and Ginny swung around to look at Ron casually sitting on the second step, leaning his head against the wall. He looked tired. It was late, after all.

"How long have you been there, mate?" Harry asked.

He shrugged. "I think since Ginny yelled that you two were married. Was enough of a shock to make me sit down. Pretty glad I sat this argument out, personally. Might have said some things I'd regret." He gave his mother a pointed look. Harry was impressed, and smiled thinking of his conversation with Hermione yesterday, full of sarcasm and teasing. He saw now that Hermione had rubbed off on Ron as much as he'd rubbed off on her. And he also might need a new way to phrase that in a way that didn't make him want to vomit.

"You're right," Molly sighed, and frowned at her hands in her lap. "I suppose I'm just not ready to admit that my youngest is a grown woman. But I was married at your age. Exactly your age, actually."

"You had Bill at her age," Ron supplied helpfully. His mother scowled at him.

"I had Bill nine months from her age, Ronald," she argued, before turning back to Harry and Ginny. "Which I'm _hoping_ isn't a possibility for you two."

Ginny scoffed and folded her arms as she appraised her mother once more. "We were safe, Mum."

Molly nodded, expectantly, then let out a deep breath and crumpled into her chair. "I'm sorry for the things I said. I'm sorry for the things I thought. There's no excuse."

Perhaps it was his nature or all of the years that she'd been nothing but loving to him, but Harry found it rather easy to forgive her. It was a lot to take in and react to in a single night, particularly when an only daughter, youngest child, was involved. Add in the late night and all of the worry they'd put her through before their little chat, and Harry stood to give her a hug.

A glance at Ginny told Harry that she might need some persuading, but it probably wouldn't take much. In fact, all it took was a little nod of his head towards her deflated mother, and Ginny stood to join him.

They pulled Molly to her feet and the three embraced. Whispered apologies and assurances brought Ron over to the group.

"So, is this a 'congratulations' or 'condolences' sort of situation?" he asked with a half-smile.

Harry laughed and clapped his mate on the back. These had been the two he'd worried about most—and an enormous weight lifted off of Harry now that he'd gotten the discussion with them out of the way.

Ginny caught his attention, and she took a deep breath. "So, Harry, what's next?"

And for the first time, he didn't hate the question.

* * *

**A/N: Alrighty! We're almost there! I've got one more planned chapter for this fic. Hope you enjoy it!**


	8. The Proposal

**A/N: So I watched Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and was fascinated by the structure of the movie. I don't think it's a spoiler to say the bulk of the movie takes place in a day or two, and then for the ending, we just jump ahead in time quite a ways. I thought it was a really unique way to tell the story, and wanted to give it a try here. I ended up really liking it, and hope you do too!**

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Chapter 8: The Proposal

-0-0-0-

On the day Harry Potter proposed to his wife, he woke up naked and cold. She'd taken the blanket during the night, which might not normally be a problem, but this particular morning—like many of the past month—Harry found himself blissfully in the buff when retiring to bed and rising in the morning.

His skin was chilled, but still a smile came to his face when he glanced over at Ginny, dead to the work beside him, a little bit of drool at her lips. He'd heard that sleeping on one's stomach was bad for the back, and had to admit that Ginny's odd prostrate form (complete with a bunched blanket and an odd pillow bending her torso and hips in abnormal directions) didn't look comfortable.

Scattered about them on the bed were a few rose petals that had miraculously not fallen off the mattress in last night's vigorous activities, nor in the apparent blanket-tug-of-war Ginny had won while they were sleeping. Candles lined their room, long extinguished in their slumber. He let out a sigh at last night's failure before shaking his head. The image of Ginny atop him could not be considered a failure. He would forever remember the sight of her, face titled to the ceiling, eyes closed, biting that damn bottom lip while she panted his name and rocked her hips with his.

He smiled again and reached over, gently tugging on the blanket. In the process of covering himself back up, Ginny rolled with the blanket, bringing her back to his front, and rather quickly solved one problem that the cold generally caused men.

Harry sighed contentedly as their legs tangled and he felt her warm skin against his from head to foot. She let out a groan, much less content.

"Did you just take an ice bath or something?" she mumbled, squirming against him. She didn't pull away, though. Which was good, because the squirming was heating him up real fast. He could feel the blood pulsing through his body, focusing in one particular area.

"You stole my blanket again," Harry smiled into her neck. There was a faint, early morning musk in the air that wasn't necessarily pleasant, but that Harry had grown to find comfort in over the last month. Morning breath mixed with the scent of sleeping bodies, thrown in with the lingering sex from last night. Harry wouldn't change it for anything. It was…_them_.

Instead, she turned her face so she could press a kiss to his lips over her shoulder. "_Our_ blanket," she smirked.

Harry let out a laugh and wondered just how he'd gotten so lucky.

Of course, he hadn't always felt that way.

He remembered the sleepless night after he and Ginny had told Molly and Ron about their Union. She'd gone up to her room, and Harry had gone home to Grimmauld Place, deciding that they could tell the rest of the Weasleys what had happened the following morning.

Harry's insomnia wasn't caused by worry of telling Arthur that his little girl was married now. No. Harry just missed Ginny. He wanted to be with her. It felt wrong to be away from his wife. It also felt wrong to be sharing a bed and home with a girl that he had only just started to court. And he truly did want to court her, even if they were already married. He wanted to spend long afternoons walking and talking, riding brooms, going to art shows or quidditch games, talking about politics and dreams of the future.

He wanted all of that. He wanted to know her intimately, in every sense of the word. And while he thought they had a great start, that's all it was. Still, as he lay alone in bed that night, he also wanted her there with him, brushing fingers in the night and _feeling_ her there.

The next morning, a tired Harry had joined Ginny and Molly at the breakfast table before Arthur went to work and broke the news. Harry didn't like to think about it because it broke his heart to remember the sadness on Arthur's face. He didn't lash out like Molly had. He wasn't angry. Even over the following few days as Harry and Ginny tried to convince her parents that she should move in with him, he'd just taken it all with a resigned sorrow that his only daughter, his sweet little girl, was now under another man's care.

Harry much preferred his conversation with Arthur a few days ago, when he'd snuck back to the Burrow without Ginny or anyone else but Dumbledore knowing.

"Arthur, I'd like to ask your daughter to marry me," he'd said, inexplicably nervous given the situation. Which Arthur was quick to point out.

"You've been married a month, Harry," he said with a shake of his head and a furrowed brow.

He shrugged. "I know. I just want to…" He sighed, unable to put it into words. "All of this was pushed on us rather quickly, but we turned it into our choice, Arthur. I just want to make sure that's clear to her. She and I both want this. And also give her at least a _part_ of what she imagined when she was growing up."

Arthur had beamed. "Son," he'd said. "I know this hasn't been the best situation, but I want you to know that I would choose no other man to take care of my daughter. Of course you have my blessing to ask your wife to marry you."

In his bed, Harry wrapped his arm around Ginny's middle and buried his face in her shoulder.

"What are you smiling about?" she asked, turning her head again to get a look at him.

He couldn't exactly tell Ginny the truth without spoiling his proposal—even if last night had kind of spoiled it anyway. He'd made sure their evening was free, set up the room with roses, candles, and a (untouched and surely cold by now) dinner and wine. Ginny'd been so taken by the romance of it all, she hadn't waited to find out the reason for it. She'd jumped him, and Harry had been a very willing participant in the distraction.

Still, he didn't want to ruin the surprise of the proposal now. "Just thinking about Fred and George's reactions to our Union," Harry lied easily.

Ginny snorted. "They couldn't decide what to do with you. How do you give the rehearsed 'Boyfriend speech' when the boy skipped that part altogether?"

Harry chuckled as he ran his hand up her body, between her breasts, and cradled her face. Propped up on his other elbow, he kept her face to him so he could share his amusement with her. "Fred pulled me aside and asked me what my intentions with you were."

Her eyebrows rose and she let out a snort of laughter. "Oh, Merlin, what did you say?"

He kissed her shoulder. "I was pretty confused. Think I answered with a bit of a question. 'To be married to her?'."

Ginny laughed again and caught his lips with hers. He felt her hand reach down behind her and run along his thigh. He felt himself twitch against her leg as her touch moved to his backside and gave him a squeeze. "Not much to threaten when the guy has already given his full commitment, eh?"

Harry rolled his hips against her in an attempt to relieve his growing desire, and he slid between her legs. Ginny gasped. "So eager this morning?" she teased. But he saw her heated gaze. He wasn't the only excited one.

He kissed her again. "How can I wake up to you like this and _not_ be eager?" He dropped his hand from her face to give her breast a gentle squeeze. Ginny shifted so he was pressed right up against her core.

"Bill and Fleur warned us this would happen when we told them the news," Ginny said, her voice now a little breathless.

Harry chuckled, pulling Ginny's hair back so he could nip at her earlobe. "We had such good intentions to keep our physical relationship limited while we 'dated.' But they were right, the Honeymoon Phase is a very real thing." His thumb brushed over the peaked flesh of her breast. "Not sure it's ever going to end like they warned, though."

Ginny moved her hand from his backside between her legs where she took him in her hand and stroked him slowly. Harry groaned. "I sure hope it doesn't," she responded, a grin spreading over her face at what she was doing to him. He wanted to kiss it off her face, but decided she could keep going for another few moments. "Still, I'm grateful for the advice they gave us for if it does."

"You don't remember any of it," Harry accused with a smirk. She released her grip around him, and Harry immediately regretted teasing her.

She looked about to argue with him, but then a smile came back to her face. "Shit, you're right," she laughed. She grabbed him again while shifting her body. "Guess it doesn't matter as long as we don't leave this Honeymoon Phase." Then she guided him inside her and they both let out a sigh of pleasure.

The day after Ginny's Birthday, after telling Arthur and the Twins what happened, Harry and Ginny had gone out again. The plan was lunch and a stroll through Ottery St. Catchpole. They'd only just gotten into town when Ginny pressed Harry into a hidden alcove and against a wall. Five minutes of heated snogging convinced them to take a quick break from the town and go back to Grimmauld Place.

They'd talked about their physical relationship a lot after Harry had collapsed on top of her in a state of utter bliss thirty minutes later. They shared concerns about doing everything out of order, and not wanting the physical to get in the way of a deeper emotional connection. For Harry's part, the fact that he was happily _having_ the conversation was enough to convince him that what he had with Ginny wasn't just physical. He didn't know that there was a less judgmental person on the planet than Ginny, and he was amazed at how little he had to explain himself to her. She just _got _it.

And they'd returned to Ottery St. Catchpole shortly thereafter, where Ginny helped Harry pick out some new décor for his home. _Their_ home.

Because it was their home now, and it took only a couple more days for them to admit they didn't like sleeping apart.

"Husband and wife should be together," Ginny had explained to her mum a few days into their marriage. "It doesn't make sense for us to stay apart anymore. I'm going to spend the rest of my life with him, and it might as well start now."

Harry chuckled, thinking back on Molly's bumbled retort about Ginny leaving for school again in a couple weeks anyway. Ginny had won that argument rather soundly. And so they moved Ginny into Grimmauld Place, knowing full well she'd be moving out again just a short time later.

"I love you, Ginny," Harry whispered in her ear as he rocked slowly into her. She reached her hand up behind her to run through his hair. He loved the way her fingernails felt as the scratched his head. He loved the way she said the words back to him. He just loved her.

They were words that he'd first said in their two weeks at Grimmauld Place. They were cooking together, and he fed her a sauce that was too hot while it simmered on the stove. Her eyes widened in panic, and she did an adorable little dance while she waited desperately for the sauce to cool in her mouth and stop burning her tongue. And he'd just said it. He wasn't sure he'd ever said the words before, but he was sure he wanted to say them then. He was in love.

The sauce and noodles had burned that night. Harry was busy in the other room being told and shown that the feeling was mutual.

The memory of that night made Harry's chest constrict, and he whispered it again in her ear. "I love you so much, Ginny."

Her breath hitched and he thrust harder, quickening his pace. Her moans grew loader. He lifted her leg up and angled himself better.

"Harry!" she called out when he drove deeper and deeper.

"I want you to scream my name again," he told her through short breaths. The feeling of her was getting to be too much.

And she did; she called out his name again. It only drove him more wild.

"I want you to scream it so loud that you break through these silencing charms and all of Gryffindor Tower can hear you."

She didn't call out his name again. She burst out laughing.

Harry cringed. "Too much?" he asked with a smile, slowing his movements as Ginny tried to gain control of herself.

She nodded. "Make a note of this one in your dirty talk log," she laughed.

She was joking, of course. There was no actual log. But Harry had been learning over the past month the things that Ginny liked, and the ones she didn't. He learned early on that she hated being commanded to do things. A simple "Fuck me" had been fine in the general sense, but the second something was directed at her, Harry'd learned to put "I want you to—" before the action.

Harry had pointed it out to her one night when things were heating up. She'd been surprised by the subconscious reaction. Then, she carefully admitted to hating commands ever since her possession. She never wanted someone else to be in control of her. Harry had held her close and promised her she'd never be put through that again.

It was one of the few nights since their marriage they hadn't had sex. And Harry had never felt closer to her.

"I'll put it under the latest entry," Harry said, chuckling along with her. "Ginny likes her hair pulled."

He ran his fingers through her hair, gently combing it before giving it a slight tug. Ginny's laughter stopped. "I do like that," she hummed. Harry hummed with her as he resumed the steady roll of his hips.

It didn't take long after that for a pressure to build low in his gut. Ginny's breathing was labored, too. With each exhale, he heard part of his name, "Har—," followed by her next breath of "—ry." And then sometimes a "please" that had Harry groaning with need.

He brought his hand down between her legs and rubbed in tight circles. She threw her head back into his shoulder, and her hand covered his, pressing harder.

Harry didn't need to be told twice, and pressed hard against her as he thrust deep inside of her.

Her body was hot against his and she cried into the morning air when she came. She was mesmerizing. Body rolling with the waves of pleasure that shown all over her face. The light whimper she made brought Harry right to the edge. After a few more thrusts, he tumbled after her. He bit down on her shoulder in his release, and a primitive, basic side of him hoped the mark would last for days. He clutched to her like a raft in torrential river as his body came down from its high.

"Why," Ginny asked, still heaving with deep breaths. "Don't we do this every morning?"

Harry chuckled, pressing soft, lazy kisses to her neck. "Because you like your sleep, and you don't like to miss our first class."

She turned around. Harry slipped out of her, but his hand found its way to her backside to give her a gentle squeeze. Her brow dropped with her frown. "Not all of us are repeating our seventh year, and can stand to miss a class here and there."

"Please," Harry said with a peck to her lips. "You know the material better than I do. Plus, you'll be flying for the Harpy's this time next year."

Her fingers played at his chest, and she studied what hair had start to grow there. "So I should just say 'screw it' to my schooling?"

"No. You should say that to me," Harry grinned.

She rolled her eyes and hit him on the chest. "That was so bad."

"I'll add it to the log. Right after 'Ginny likes to be on top after Quidditch practice'."

"Well I'm already properly stretched out and used to the position," she defended lightly, with a grin.

They stared at each other, and Harry thought he might just be blinded by her smile. It certainly made him blind to everything else in the world. She was the only thing in this moment.

He hadn't known he could feel this way. When he and Ginny had discussed him returning to Hogwarts for his seventh year with her, it had been as a bit of a trial. When he'd suggested it, her face had lit up. Their inevitable split had been weighing on both of them as the summer neared its end. "I would love you to come back to Hogwarts with me," she admitted softly. "And if you find you don't like being back at the school, you can always leave and pursue the other twenty options you've got on the table."

It had turned out to be an unnecessary fallback option. Harry had never been happier. Back at a school he loved and had felt cheated out of for his final year. Dumbledore had set Ginny and him up with quarters in Gryffindor Tower for a married couple. Ginny was his Quidditch Captain, a role that he loved seeing her in, and that had followed them into the bedroom twice now. They spent much of their day together, except for when he went off to Potions, and she went to her Arithmancy class. And he could honestly say, there's no way he'd rather spend his days.

Harry tucked Ginny's hair behind her ear and brushed her cheek with his thumb. "Gin, I am so happy."

Her eyes crinkled with happiness. "Me too, Harry."

"I have only one complaint," he said, a serious tone.

"What is it?" she asked. Harry kissed her furrowed brow with a smile.

"Last night didn't go as planned because you were a little...overenthusiastic."

She blushed and ducked her hair. "We didn't exactly get to dinner, did we?"

"Not just that," he said. "Stay here for a second."

Harry rolled out of bed, well aware of her eyes on his naked body as he wandered over to the table with a cold chicken dish. The same meal she'd ordered on their first date. He ignored the food, however, and grabbed a small box that he'd tucked behind the vase of flowers and a candle.

Keeping it hidden from Ginny's view, Harry opened the box and eyed his mother's engagement ring. He sighed, saddened that she could never meet this incredible girl who was his wife. This kind, brilliant, selfless woman who he wanted to care for the remainder of their lives. The absolute beauty lying naked on his bed, calling out to him with a soft, confused voice.

"Harry? Are you okay?" He swallowed thickly, knowing that his mum would have approved.

He palmed the ring, set the box back, and turned back to her. She was sitting up on the bed, with the sheet pulled half-heartedly to her chest. He strolled back over to her and climbed back onto the bed with her. He took her left hand in his free hand.

"Ginny." His voice came out hoarse. "This didn't start how we wanted."

She frowned at him and tilted her head, but let him continue. "In another life, we wouldn't have done this backwards. Maybe I'd have realized just how amazing you are a little sooner. I'd have asked you out a couple years earlier, and we'd have started dating. On your seventeenth birthday, instead of a surprise marriage that changed your name, I'd have just eaten you out so thoroughly you'd have forgotten your name."

Ginny scoffed and rolled her eyes, but still kept rapt attention on him.

"But I know this is where we'd have ended up," he said more soberly. "I'd have been sitting somewhere with you, preferably naked like this, wondering how on earth I got so lucky. Knowing that there was no one else I'd rather be with. No one else I'd rather help me answer the question, 'what's next?'"

He unclenched his hand, leaving an imprint of the diamond on his palm. He held the ring between his fingers and heard Ginny gasp, bringing his attention back to her perfect face, mouth open and eyes wide.

"Ginny, will you marry me?"

He wondered if he'd need to explain himself. Why it was important to him to propose even if they were already husband and wife. Why he needed to ask the question and she needed to give an answer. Why this event needed to stand alone from the frantic day a month ago.

But he didn't need to explain himself. Ginny's eyes filled with tears and she gazed at Harry with such adoration, he thought his heart might burst.

"Yes, Harry!" she cried before throwing herself into his arms. "Yes I'll marry you!"

Their embrace was warm, and tight. They swayed together, whispering words of love in each other's ear. Pulling back, Ginny presented her hand for him, and he slid the ring on. He brushed his thumb over the back of her fingers and the band of the ring.

He looked back up to her beaming face and knew how he'd respond to them now. The reporters, the ministry officials anxious to position themselves on his side, the well-meaning friends, the women batting their eyelashes. "What's next for Harry Potter?"

He smiled at Ginny and directed his hypothetical answer to her. "You're always going to come first, Ginny Potter, so it really doesn't matter what's next. Because with you, I know whatever's next will be wonderful."

* * *

**A/N: This was a lot of fun for me writing Harry and Ginny again! It felt a bit like coming home. I'm really hoping this was just what I needed to finish up LoI, so keep an eye out for that. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this fic as much as I liked writing it. Until next time!**


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